The Soul Inside
by SoulEaterUnlimited
Summary: Maka Albarn is having a hard time with her new life of poverty, on top of being abandoned by her family she now has to deal with a woman who wants her out of the city, the judgmental citizens of Death City and newly acquired trust issues. It seems like things will never change, at least, until she meets a boy who might just be her saving grace. {AU} SoulxMaka
1. Stay away

**[Death City]**  
Death City, an average morning just like any other. Windy, cold, heated, creepy. The mixture of emotions and weather patterns as usual, taking an odd effect on the strange people whom took residence in the area. It was a very odd city, populated by odd people, centered around an odd school. In that, it's not surprising that a young teenager could be left on the streets for so long. Some are forgotten and some are saved, the others aren't so lucky. Those who are left behind become bitter, they'll soon be corrupted by the dim lights of the city and live for only one purpose: Destruction.  
Maka Albarn, she wakes up in an abandoned apartment every morning. This morning, she followed her Saturday routine.

"MAKA!", a woman's voice carried, as a large, pampered lady busted down the door.

"Maka Albarn! How many times do I have to tell you to stay away!", she now grabbed the girl by the back of her leather jacket, pushing her outside. Maka was very poor, she didn't have much to convince the lady she'd be an average residence at the small apartment, no matter how well she'd behaved or what little complaints there were for the neighbors. She looked like, and was easily dubbed, a trouble maker. The black leather jacket she wore hid the loose, barely torn white t-shirt that covered the tip of her plaid, red mini skirt. For shoes she made due with white sneakers, that were quickly outgrowing her as they began to slightly pinch her feet.  
This was normal, she'd been living this way for almost two years now.

" , lovely to see you as always.", Maka sarcastically smiled.

"Unless you have some kind of payment, GET YOUR ASS OUT OF MY APARTMENT BUILDING.", screamed.

"I already told you, as soon as I take care of these last few payments, i'll pay you too. It's under control, I promise.", Maka falsely reassured herself as well as the furious woman.

"No more chatter, GET OUT OF HERE!", the woman pushed her out by the scruff of her unfitting leather jacket, slamming the door shut behind her as she pushed her down the long medal steps winding down the three rough stories of the apartment complex. Her favorite, empty building, which nobody took residence in, was on the third floor. She'd been shoved down these stairs far more than necessary.  
After stumbling down the final steps, she picked herself up, dusted herself off once more, and took a walk down the street. The neighborhood was very narrow, not too many houses surrounding it. Only the line of apartment buildings and the occasional dark ally. Typical, ideal spot for Death City in her opinion.  
There was a park not too far from here, she turned the corner, heading down the street facing five blocks that now stood in her path, separating her from the quiet place. The park had been usually empty, not too many people inhabited the area. It was a good place to get mugged, or attacked. Though the crime rate mostly consisted of routy teenagers, and false accusations courtesy of Maka, getting on somebody's bad side. She was good at this, she was better at being alone. This was the way she liked it, nobody relying on her, nobody she would be forced to rely on.  
Maka shook the many bad memories out of her mind and made her way to the small park. Once there, she took a spot on a bench, under the shade of a weeping willow tree. There were words, phrased, and names carved into the wood of both the benched picnic table and the old, falling tree.

"_Another boring day. Great._", Maka thought.

"_When am I finally going to have the guts to stand up to her, I always tell myself i'm going to do it but I always end up here. How uncool_.", she murmured to herself.

"Yo,", a rough voice called behind her.

"Who are you,", she asked the teenage boy approaching her. She didn't have to turn around to know it was a boy, his voice was so deep and jagged she could tell. It was like that of a shark. So amusing.

"What? Already with the questions? All I said was 'yo',", he replied, taking a seat across from her on the bench. Maka held her head down so she was unable to see his body or face.

"Well i'm not exactly interested in conversation, so if you'll excuse me.", she picked herself up from the table, walking away.

"You're not even gonna tell me your name?", he asked, following her.

"Nope,", she walked down the hill, away from the willow sulking in the wind, and tread down a narrow cement track.

"What are you doing in a place like this? It looks deserted.", he asked once again, still treading behind her.

"Go away.", she stated in her firmest voice.

"I just came to talk to you because I think that's my brothers jacket. He had one just like it, but it went missing and now he blames you for stealing it.", he laughed a bit, "You could say you're well known in the area as a thief."  
She didn't have to look at him to tell he was smiling.  
Maka sighed and stated, "So i'm 'well known', but you still don't know my name.", she imitated his voice.

"Yeah, not cool I know, but anyway, can I just have it back so I can, you know, get out of your hair?", his voice was calm, not demanding yet no restraint.  
She didn't reply, she unzipped her jacket quickly and threw it behind her at the boy, pacing faster along the narrow tracks.

"How nice, this isn't even his size.", he thought to himself. He'd be unable to catch her, he'd only hope she would be there tomorrow so he may return it to her.

**[Next morning]**  
Maka received no sleep that night, it became too cold and unbearable around midnight or so. She usually stayed awake unless she was in the comfort of the abandoned apartment. The woman scouted the apartment shortly after she'd kicked Maka out, she'd done this before and had learned the hard way. At one point she tried nailing the door shut, only making it harder on everybody.  
She was hungry, she hated to admit it. Her jacket and minimum luxury had been taken from her.

"_Oh well_", she thought as she shrugged it off.  
A familiar voice had interrupted her thoughts once more, as she bowed her head in abrupt shame.

"I thought I told you to go away", she warned.

"I just wanted to return this.", he said, carefully placing the jacket on her shoulders as he stood behind her.

"Get away, don't touch me", she said, this time more irritated than the last.

"What? I can't do you a favor without you yelling at me? How uncool.", he stated firmly.  
Maka got up and proceeded to walk away, ignoring the boy who once more followed her path.

"Go away!", she commanded once more, pacing faster.

"Tell me your name and i'll leave.", he stated.

"Maka Albarn, go away.", Maka replied, refusing to look at him even once.  
He smirked slightly as he replied,

"Soul Eater."


	2. Isolate me

She didn't even respond, she proceeded to walk away. Soul had been fed up, irritated from the start by her distant attitude. He'd done nothing wrong to her, besides falsely accusing her of stealing a jacket, from a person she'd never even met.  
He kicked himself.

"No wonder she hates me. Nice going Soul, you dumbass.", he thought as he scolded himself.

"Will you stop running from me?", he called after her.

"No. Go away you said you'd leave", Maka replied in an angry tone.

He placed one hand on her shoulder, turning her around so she was forced to take a good look at him. This boy was definitely different from most of the ones she'd seen around town. The first thing she noticed was his jacket, it looked exactly like hers. He wore an orange shirt underneath his black leather jacket, followed by brown pants barely held by a loose belt, along with similar white sneakers. She refused to look at his face, she stared down at his shoes.

"Let go, I don't want to talk to anybody!", Maka raised her voice.

"Uh, can you at least explain to me what I did wrong? I'm not trying to hurt you, is it because I forgot to apologize about the jacket thing?", Soul looked down at her hair, which was pulled back in tan pig tails.

"I don't care, I forgive you, go away now!", she shouted once more, removing his hands from her shoulders.

This time she ran from him faster, basically sprinting in her attempt to get far away from the strange boy. Maka used to be a socialite, never afraid of interaction, but that wasn't the case now. She didn't want to be bothered by anything, no matter the intentions. The incident with the jacket had nothing to do with the reason she wanted no part of him.  
She took a turn down the hill straight past the willow and onto the street, surrounding herself in an underpopulated area full of parked cars and graffiti lining the walls.

"Great, not this place again. Being here only means i'll run into her, I need to keep going.", she thought, running down the street until she was certain he was too far behind to catch up. He had no chance of finding her, she knew every inch of the city better than the back of her own hand. There was no way he'd manage to find her after the way she'd left him behind.  
There was a ledge that clung to the walls of one of the nearby apartment buildings. It was far enough out of sight she could hide there for a while, until she was sure there was no chance of running into him again.

* * *

"_Ugh, where did she go_", Soul thought, looking around the park frantically. He thought he'd seen her run into the street.  
He checked there next, to no avail. He couldn't find her, she'd disappeared completely out of sight. He'd just have to hope he'd get lucky once more, in his attempt to relocate her for the third time now.

"Hey Soul!", a voice called behind him.

"Hey Black*Star,", he replied, staring at the boy with blue spiky hair, now approaching him.

"What's up man?", Black*Star said, high-fiving him.

"Nothing, I was just taking care of some stuff. I'll finish it later, let's go I hear it gets weird out here at night.", Soul said, now walking away from the park, treading down the street.

* * *

It was getting late, the day went by so fast. She could barely remember any of it. At least she hoped she couldn't remember, if anything she was still trying to forget. The name, the voice, everything. Every little detail stayed etched in her mind.

"_Like a disease._", she thought.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a sudden creaking sound, coming from the wall. The wooden ledge she'd been sitting on now appeared tilted, as if ready to slide off.

"Oh no", she panicked. She tried jumping off, catching the edge of the rooftop in an effort to make a hasty retreat on top of one of the buildings, all in vain. The platform had teatered and fallen before she'd even had the chance. It was a ledge placed on the two story complex, far enough in the air to earn a large bruise on her body. Nothing below her was going to save her, the cement was her only comfort now.  
CRACK! She felt a sudden impact. There was a dumpster hidden in the shadows, unfortanutely it was too far off to catch every part of her, she ended up bouncing off of the dumpster, tipping it over on its side. The force of being thrown off the dumpster added pressure, leaving her defeated by her fetal attempt of safety, now collapsing onto the cement.

"Get up you idiot, get up! Someone's bound to hear that!", she yelled at herself in her head.

"Who's there?!", a familiar voice called from the corner of the ally. Makas' arms and legs were covered with bruises and slight cuts, the cemented cobblestone had managed to puncture a part of her skin. Blood trailed down parts of her wrists and stained her shirt. The pain didn't bother her, the fact she may not be able to fight back if the situation arose, terrified her.

"No! No, anyone but her!", Maka thought, trying to pick herself up off the ground.

"MAKA ALBARN!", the woman screamed.

"Nice to see you as always .", Maka managed, gritting her teeth.

"Maka Albarn, I hope you have some strength saved up in that weak little body of yours! You're going to need it once i'm done with you! Look at what you did to my apartment!", the lady screamed, raising a hand about to slap Maka plain in the face.

Maka's world went black before she could see if the woman had done it, she saw more than one person in front of her. Two, maybe, two different people? Maybe, but who? She had no idea. Her vision was too blurry, her mind too clouded.  
Before she knew it, her energy was gone, as was her strength, and so with it went her will to stay awake any longer.


	3. I don't need you

Maka woke up a few hours later, her entire body was now numb. She could barely feel her legs, the last thing she could remember was the near fatal fall off of the unsupported platform.

"_Damnit Maka, don't you know a bad idea when you see one?_", she thought to herself.

She barely opened her eyes, she didn't recognize her surroundings. There was a cieling, four walls, and a couch she was sitting on. She was certain she'd wake up on the concrete, was it a dream? No, it was all too real. Maka was afraid to sit up, she was afraid of where she might be. This was unknown territory, inhabited but so strange. It looked too comfortable, the couch had soothed her aching back and feet. She knew she'd have to leave soon, it was too good to be true.

"_No hesitation Maka, get up!_", she commanded, thinking to herself.

"Hey Soul, someone's awake,", a voice called from the other room.

"_Great, now I really have to get out of here. Wait, Soul, what. No! This can't be happening!_", she panicked.

"Black*Star if you're joking again I swear to god,", a familiar voice called from the other room.

"No! I swear! Come look!", he pleaded.

"Ugh", Soul sighed, walking into the living room.

Maka was trying to get up, she was wobbly, the feeling in her legs came back slowly but not completely. It was difficult to maintain balance, she collapsed onto the ground before she could even stand.  
Two hands were placed on her shoulders, lifting her back onto the couch.

"Let go!", she commanded, swatting the hands away. Maka refused to look at his face, seeing his face would only make it harder to forget.

"Relax, i'm only trying to help.", the familiar deep voice reassured her.

"Well I didn't ask for your help, go away.", Maka commanded, sealing her eyes shut.

"Damn it's hard to get a thank you from you.", Black*Star interrupted, "A small "thanks" would be nice, he went through hell trying to get you out of there! Now if it were me, i'd have you out of there in no time! But Soul is my lesser half, so he wasn't as lucky.", he began to ramble on.

"Black*Star shut up and go get some food, she looks hungry.", Soul commanded.

"No, just let me go I don't need help!", Maka shouted, still unable to shake Soul off of her shoulders.  
"I took a nice punch for you, the least you could do is let me feed you.", Soul said stirnly, no longer phased by her shoving.  
Maka was steaming red now, she turned around, breaking away from his grip. She forgot where his face lay, it was now right in front of her. She got a perfect view of it. Everything, the tan face, the crimson red eyes, the white hair, the sharp, pointed teeth. It was too much for her, she had to forget now. In an effort to escape she picked herself up reluctantly and ran to the door, throwing it open. As soon as she set one foot into the freezing wind, she collapsed once more onto the ground. Soul sighed, picking her up once more and setting her onto the couch.  
Maka was too weak to fight him, his grip became more comfortable as he lifted her up and placed her back onto the soft couch, unable to resist she gave into the temporary comfort, knowing she'd kick herself later. A blanket was placed on top of her and a pillow under her head. She gave into the darkness, resulting in a well deserved, comfortable sleep.

"So, Soul. How long is she gonna be here.", Black*Star asked silently.

"I don't know, it doesn't matter. As long as she's safe now, man that woman was crazy.", Soul replied, rubbing the bruise on his face.

"Why did she slap you anyway?"

"More or less an accident, I was walking around when I heard a loud crash, then a woman started running to the ally. I was curious so I followed her in, and she was about to hit Maka so I stepped in for a moment. I guess it's better me than her,", Soul smirked as he spoke, remembering the angry face etched onto the strange woman.

Maka was sound asleep, the only thing in her mind was that of a face. The perfect face.

* * *

"_Perfect face?_", she thought to herself. She could tell she was dreaming, her voice echoed through her head. Soon her body appeared visibal, revealing herself in a black lace dress. A large door appeared in front of her, reluctantly she entered, as she no longer wanted to appear in the dark. Behind the door was a small room, supported with black walls, covered in framed pictures. Long red and black tiles were spread across the floor. The only thing in the room was a table, a lounge chair, and a small record player. It was playing some kind of jazz music, she was completely unfamiliar with it. This was odd, she'd never had a dream like this before. Assuming it was a dream, it seemed too calm to be a nightmare, but with Maka it was hard to tell.

"Good, you're finally here.", a voice called behind her. Maka turned around, gazing at the crimson eyes and white hair. His face looked absolutely perfect to her.

"No, shut up Maka.", she thought to herself.

Soul took a few steps further until he was now face to face with Maka. His hands in the pockets of his black and red striped suit. He looked well dressed, just as Maka did. The music began to slow, changing the tune as Soul reached one hand out for her. No words were spoken, he smirked slightly, revealing his sharp pair of teeth.  
Maka looked away, unable to speak, or to breathe. She didn't want anymore images of him in her mind, she had tried so hard to forget the first time. It only became harder, for each image of him and each sound of his voice. The kind gesture, she'd never be able to forget now. She owed him, she knew that much.  
Reluctantly, she took his hand as he wrapped one arm around her waste, pulling her across the floor.

"No, this can't be real, I need to wake up.", Maka panicked.  
Her thoughts were interrupted, another voice called out from behind her. The painful screams echoing through her ear. The woman had entered too, the middle aged, bitter woman. Medusa, the beast, the monster, the owner of the apartment complex. Maka had seen what she looked like as a young woman, wonderful. She could've been a great model, but her bitter attitude and anger issues promised her out of the job.

"No please not her too!", Maka screamed.

"Waste of space! Absolute waste! No more!", she screamed, pulling out a sharp medal object. The woman flung it at Maka, making it much more visibal. A sharp dagger, so sharp the blade looked new. Maka covered her face, she screamed, knowing pain and suffering was lurking in her gaze.  
No harm came to Maka, she stood there in shock as the red and black striped suit was now covered in blood, and the boy within it collapsed onto the floor. He'd taken the nasty blow, knowing very well what awaited him next.  
Maka could no longer take it, the memories, the pain, the present, she screamed. A blood curtiling scream echoed throughout her mind, body, and soul, jerking her up from her sleep.

She woke up still screaming, closing her eyes, terrified of opening them.

"Maka! Maka! Calm down!", a voice shook her. He grabbed her shoulders, knealing down so he was now looking up at her bruised face. The voice was soothing now, stirn but reliable. She knew the voice, for now she was only relieved that it was only a dream.

"_Or a nightmare._", she thought.  
She breathed in and out slowly, catching her breath in the only way she knew how. Her mind was clouded, the world in front of her began to spin.

"_Please don't do this again!_", Maka ordered herself.

She fell foreward, still sitting on the couch. She was caught in an unfamiliar grasp, pulling her lightly. She opened one eye, as much as she could possibly manage, Soul had caught her once more. He now sat with her on the couch, allowing her to rest on his shoulder for the moment, until she was able to regain her strength.  
"Looks like i'll be here for a while", Soul thought, as he looked at the girl resting on his arm and shoulder.

* * *

It's late, a meeting at the town hall is now taking place. Medusa demanded a meeting with the mayor, refusing to leave until she'd spoken directly to him. She'd been left outside, waiting for over an hour now until the meeting had finally been ajourned. She was led into a small room, the decoration was off. What appeared to be goetines hung from the wall, threatening to behead their intruders. The room was small, the only thing in it was a large mirror and a small table. She took a seat at the low table, awaiting the mayors return.

"Ah Medusa what can I do for you.", he cheerfully asked.

He was an unusual mayor, he spent his time dressing in strange masks and funny robes. The robe he wore now was black, it was very long and the bottom of it hung behind him in assorted twists and turns. His mask was that of a skeleton, covering his face and eyes. Nobody understood his wardrobe, and nobody tried.  
"I demand you look into this girls citizenship.", Medusa stated, pulling out a folder. The name "Maka Albarn" was clipped onto the side, a picture of a girl with long pig tails in her hair was stapled to the front.

"Look into it? Why is that?", he asked, scratching his head with very large bony-looking gloves.

"Look into as in have it destroyed, burn it completely! She's been nothing but a nuissance to this town since day one!", Medusa declared, throwing the folder onto the table.  
"Well i'm afraid I can't do that, you see, she has just as much as a right to be here as you do.  
She grit her teeth, the thought of Maka being able to stay in the city, irritating her with every breath she took, it drove her crazy. Her mind went numb as she contemplated ways to drive Maka out herself.  
In her mind, Maka was going to disappear, whether approved or not.


	4. Thank you

It's been a long day, night approached quickly as Soul and Maka were fast asleep on the couch. Maka had once again lost her strength while trying to get off of the couch and make another attempt at an escape. Soul quickly caught her and allowed her a place to rest on his arm, meanwhile he spread his arms and legs out on the couch, until they were both comfortable. Maka had not been conscious he knew if she had been she'd be beating him and fighting back until he let her go.  
Soul opened one eye, he looked at the time. It was a quarter to midnight. He looked at his arm, realizing Maka was still unconscious leaning on him. She looked peaceful in her sleep, no angry expressions and no chance of her finding a reason to fight off his kind gestures. His arm and part of his leg felt a little numb, he began to wonder how long he'd been supporting Maka with his body. It must have been a while, he remembered day light not too long before they fell asleep.  
His thoughts were interrupted by a tug at his shirt. Maka was clenching the chest of his shirt, mumbling something in her sleep.

"_Soul_..", she murmured quietly.

"_Eh_?", Soul whispered.

"_No..Soul..no_.", her voice grew a bit louder.

"Maka?"

"Soul..Please..no..", she began to pull tightly.

"Maka relax it's just a bad dream.", he placed one hand on her shoulder.

Maka then began to turn, as if wrestling with somebody. She felt the restraint on her shoulder and swung one hand up, hitting Soul in the face.

"Ow! Maka!", Soul shouted, rubbing his nose.

Maka woke up now, ending her panic. She looked down to see herself sitting on Souls leg, then turned around to see him rubbing his nose. She didn't speak, she jumped up off the couch and ran out the door. This time she'd regained her strength, she was now able to fight back and run. Maka felt Soul behind her, trying to catch up. She used the same maneuver, avoiding him and outrunning him at every turn. Soon she found herself at a dark corner of the park, catching her breath. She hadn't realized it was midnight until she looked up to see a grinning moon.

* * *

_"Not again!", Soul exclaimed, "No, i'm not losing her again. Maka Albarn I will find you damnit!"_, he shouted as he tread down the dark streets of Death City. It was nearly pitch black, his only reliant source of light was that which amounted from the barely lit windows of the many houses, lining the streets. He had no idea where the park was, it was out of sheer luck he'd been able to locate it the first time. His house was on a different side of the city, near the academy. Recently he'd been spending time at his best friend Black*Stars house, and was still getting used to the new surroundings.  
There was no doubt about it, it was a pure miracle that he'd even met Maka. He knew it and he was determined to find her, he'd never been one to let a good opportunity slip. There was something about Maka, he couldn't put his finger on it, drawing him closer.

"Damnit!", Soul clenched his fists, realizing he'd gone the wrong way. He had no idea where Maka was.

* * *

Two shadows crossed her path, it looked like that of two men. She couldn't make out the details, it was too dim and there was not enough light. She knew anyone lurking around the darkest area of an abandoned park at midnight, would not have the best intentions. Shamefully the apartment would now be on lock down, with no chance of her getting back in. No place for comfort, then it crossed her mind.

_"I could turn back now."_, a part of her thought. She now envisioned his face, the comfort of the small apartment, the idea of turning back grew on her as it began to get windy.

_"No, what are you thinking Maka you can't go back!"_, she argued with herself, fighting of the urges.

"And who is this _lovely_ lady?", a voice spoke up.

"I don't know, do you think she'll be our _friend_?", a second voice cackled.

"Let's find out, hey girl come over here.", a man stepped out of the shadows, revealing a part of his face. He had a dark, tired look. No doubt he wasn't mentally sane, either he was drunk or had smoked far too much for his brain to handle. The other one looked just as bad, with a goofy look on his face. They both took a step foreward, Maka remained silent, hoping they would go away. She backed away silently, bumping into an obstacle.  
Another man stepped out from behind her, with a wide grin on his demented face. Maka was on the verge of panic, no way out, she was surrounded on all sides.

"Don't be like that, please, we just want somebody to _play_ with!", the tallest man exclaimed.

"Yeah girl don't you know how to have _fun_?!", the man to his side nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, right,", the other man laughed, "_fun_!", the man behind her grabbed her shoulders, holding her in place.  
Makas eyes opened wide, the world began to turn. Her legs were shaking, she couldn't move.

_"Think Maka! Think! Run now!"_, she thought.

The man before her tightened his fist, raising it above her face. She knew what was coming, there was no doubt about it. Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. She was finished. They began to laugh, cackling and mocking her. She heard some of their whispers, their true intentions. A tear swelled in her eye as she braced herself, ready for the punch and everything that came with it.  
_**Boom!**_ A rough, jagged sound was heard before something pushed Maka to the ground. It held her there for a moment before releasing the grip, followed by the sound of a struggling. She looked up, the shadows covering her view of his body. His crimson, blood red eyes appeared to shine through the dark light. He stood before her, his hands covered in blood. One man was bleeding, his nose appeared to be bloody and broken. The other men stood before him, laughing too hard to notice. They were definitely drunk, or just plain insane.  
The other men stopped laughing in time to notice their badly wounded friend. The cackling ceased, they stood before the young boy and cracked their knuckles.

_"I don't want to do this. There's no way."_, Soul thought, _"If I do this, I might scare Maka, no, I can't take that chance."_, he thought back to only moments ago, when Maka had screamed for him in her sleep. She appeared under attack, whether or not it was him attacking her, he didn't want to find out.

_"But, what if..I don't fight back, and Maka gets hurt anyway."_

As he thought, the tallest man swung his fist, just missing Soul by an inch. In turn Soul grabbed her wrist, bending it backwards and kicking him in the heart of the stomach.  
The next man took his turn as he ran straight at the boy, ready to tackle him to the ground. The man had to be at least twice his size, much too tall to land a clean punch. He had to think fast.  
Just as the man hovered overhead, Soul ducked down beneath him, delivering a vicious punch to the ribs, then gripping the leg, pushing the man onto the cement face first.

"Damn you guys are annoying.", Soul muttered.

Each man held a damaged body part, running across the park, out of sight. Soul turned to see a defeated Maka, laying on the ground.

"Maka?", he knealed down.

"Soul.", Maka managed, still processing what had just happened.

"Maka..i'm sor-", his sentence was interrupted.  
Maka suddenly gripped his shoulders, pulling him into a tight hug. Soul stopped talking, ignoring his unfinished sentence and hugged her back.

"Thank you, Soul.", Maka then began to swell with tears, collapsing into his lap once more.

* * *

"You better enjoy her you little punk. You may have had the upperhand this time but next time i'll kill you, and get that girly of yours.", a man peared the corner far away from the park, having a slight view on a girl and a boy. Soul hugging Maka.

"Yeah!", another man nodded in agreement.

"You hear us kid? You're dead!", the third man punched his fists together, shouting silently along with his friends.

"Oh gentlemen, how nice running into you here.", a female voice called from the shadows, interrupting their mass agreement.

"Huh?", the first man turned to see the woman, shrouded in the shadows.

"Who are you?", another man said, half laughing.

"That doesn't matter, for now I have a favor to ask of you.", she continued,

"That girl over there, how would you like to have her, as your own personal, _"good friend"_, forever?"


	5. I owe you

**This one is a bit longer than the others, you'll have to excuse me I get a bit ****_carried away_**** while writing. Anyway bare with me, hopefully it's not ****_too_**** much too read.**

* * *

"Maka, why don't you just relax and come with me? You don't have to if you don't want to, but I just wanna show you around the other side, it seems like you've been here for too long, or at least a bit more than you wanted to.", Soul asked silently, letting Maka rest her head on his lap.  
They sat in the dim park, at, now nearing, one in the morning. Soul feared he may have pushed her down a little too hard, or her previous attackers proved a little too rough. Either way he was determined to guide her back into safety. Bringing her back into his house, even for a small visit, seemed like a good idea. His house was larger than the small luxury she knew as the run down apartment, he'd for once be able to spoil her. An overwhelming sensation swelled in his chest. His heart started pounding, beating faster every second. He know realized he'd been staring straight down at Maka, resting one hand delicately in her hair. He pulled away before she would notice, shrugging the reoccurring thoughts out of his head.

* * *

There was no way they'd make it safely to his house, all the way across town in the middle of the night. It would be impossible to take Maka all the way there, not without waking her up or her fighting him in her sleep. For now he'd take her back to Black*Stars and spend one last night there. In an effort to lift her up, while assuring her comfort, he gingerly placed her on his back, placing her hands over his neck and shoulder. He carried her on his back all the way to Black*Stars, unsure if he would receive any strange looks on the way, yet on another level he didn't care.

"Black*Star!", Soul called, in front of the apartment, unable to knock on the door.

A yawn came from the nearby window.

"Who's there? Come to see a big star like me?!", he called.

"Arrogant bastard, open the door already!", Soul said, well fed up with his day so far.

"Alright alright i'm coming.", Black*Star reassured, making his way to the door.

As soon as he opened it he smirked as he noticed Maka on his shoulders, "Kidnapping is illegal Soul!"

"Shut up, for one, she'd not a kid, second of all, this isn't kidnapping. Third, murder is a crime too but I think i'd make an exception for you Black*Star.", Soul replied jokingly, carrying Maka over to the couch once more.

He looked at her one last time, placing a warm blanket over her and a pillow under her head.

"Well if you guys are ok i'm going back to sleep! A big star like me needs every single hour of sleep you know? Then again I could go a year without sleep and still appear to my peasants as a god!", he boasted.

"That's good Black*Star, i'm leaving tomorrow anyway. Tsubaki should be coming back soon so you'll be alright, try not to tourch the house before she gets here? Oh and i'm taking Maka with me.", Soul replied, ignoring his repetitive brags.

"Will do! And no worries Tsubaki will be here with me, she'll be perfectly safe too! As long as she's with me, there will be no harm coming to her, or any of my other subjects!", he began to ramble on once more.

"Dude, chill out, go back to bed Black*Star.", Soul ended the conversation, taking his place on the floor, achieving some sleep that night, not that he needed it.

The next morning was unusually sunny. It seemed like a nice morning, almost nice enough to shroud the darkness laying beneath the kind-hearted mask of Death City. Maka was the first to wake up. This time she didn't run, she had no choice but to stay. She'd wasted too much energy on sleep, every part of her body was nearly numb now. She looked below her to find Soul sound asleep, on the floor. The last thing she remembered from the night before was that of a request he'd made; he wished to take her to his house for a short visit.  
She thought back to his multiple kind gestures, and the foul attitude she'd displayed upon every single act of sensitivity. If anything Maka owed him, the slight thank you was definitely not going to be enough. She didn't have much to offer him, no luxuries and her formerly reliable social skills had now become very rusty. Awkward in conversation, unwanted at anything a person like Soul might be invited to. Parties, events, social gatherings, celebrations. He was out of her league, there was no way she could repay him. If it wasn't for her he'd be sleeping on the couch instead of the floor, that much she knew.

_"Maka Albarn, you're absolutely, positively, useless. In every single way."_, she kicked herself, watching as he slept in peace. Being on the floor didn't seem to bother him. Knowing she's the reason he'd gone through all of that trouble and still ended up on the floor, troubled her very much.

_"Shut up, just stop thinking! Enough!"_, she commanded.

Her heart started pounding. His face overwhelmed her mind as she began to space out. There he was, only inches away from her. She was only halfway in control of her movements, as she reached out a finger, towards the back of his head. She had the urge to touch his pure, white hair. The urge to wake him up, she wanted to talk to him again. Not only did she want somebody to talk to, but she felt a sense of security when he was up and around. It was normal? _Right?_

_"Wrong."_, Maka thought.

_"This is very, very wrong. If I know what's best, for both of us, the strength will come back to my legs and I will run out the door right now. Out of the apartment, out of the street, out of the neighborhood. Out of the city."_, her mind went blank.

_"No, I won't run from this. I can't keep running, I need to face this somehow. Him, I need to face him."_

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. A low, female voice spoke, mumbling to herself as she reached for what sounded like a pair of keys.

"Ugh, Black*Star, that is so like you! I swear this is the seventh time you've locked me out!", she sighed.

Maka layed herself on the couch, turning around so she'd face the wall. She would pretend to sleep. The voice made its way past the door, and into the house as she merrily greeted her surroundings, yawning, breathing in the morning air.

"Black*Star!", she called, still haven't noticed the two souls sleeping in the living room.

Another yawn erupted from the next room. No doubt it was Black*Star, just waking up.  
He struggled out of bed, crashing into what sounded like three things in his own room, then sped into the living room greeting her with a loud and welcoming good morning,

"Hey Tsubaki! Good to see ya! You didn't get too scared without me around right? Just remember! I'll always be here if you get scared! Which is pretty hard, it's easy to feel safe with a big star like me around!", he exclaimed, more than just a little proud of himself.

"That's nice Black*Star,", Tsubaki said in a sweet voice, "so how was Souls' visit?", she asked.

"It isn't over yet, take a look.", he pointed to the fully inhabited couch and floor.

"Oh, who's she?"

"That's Maka, Souls new friend. She's a little on edge around people though, Soul had to lock the door to keep her from running out again!"

"Oh, well.. i'm sure she's nice.", Tsubaki thought, hoping Maka wasn't truly being held against her will.

"She's nice but she packs a punch!", Black*Star said, referring to the multiple injuries she'd given to Soul, "Anyway, Soul is taking her to his house today, so we'll have the house all to ourselves! Yahoo!", he exclaimed.

"_He sure is_.._loud._", Maka thought.

"Sounds great, maybe we can schedule some time with Kid later today! I'm sure he'll bring Liz and Patty along.", Tsubaki smiled politely.

"Yeah, but if he goes on another symmetry fit i'm gonna lose it.", Black*Star said, now making the top three on Makas' _"Weirdest things I've ever heard in my life",_ list

Tsubaki nodded, half giggling, "So do you think we should wake them up?", she asked, pointing to the couch.

"No need.", a voice chimed up below Maka.

"Oh good morning Soul!", Tsubaki greeted him.

"Morning Tsubaki, you'll be ok with Black*Star while we're gone right? He's not gonna burn the house down is he?"

"Of course, after all nobody's as careful as Black*Star!", she smiled, boosting Black*Stars ego, further than humanly possible.  
Soul stood up tall, running one hand through his messy white hair. He lightly shook Makas' shoulders, prodding her to wake up. She turned slightly, so she was able to face him halfway.

"Tsubaki, this is Maka,", Soul said, now boldly raising her up off of the couch. Maka remained silent, she flashed a broken smile and waved reluctantly. It was the best she could offer them.

"Hello Maka! Nice to meet you!", Tsubaki cheered.

She was an overwhelmingly nice girl, who wore a long tan dress. Her black raven hair was pulled back in a long, thin pony tail. She wore sandals and somewhat resembled Black*Stars sense of dress. Nonetheless, she was gorgeous.  
Maka stared down at the ground, pleading she didn't have to speak. A part of her feared her harsh personality would put a damper on the nice girls charming and collected spirit.

"Maka, stop thinking, just say hi!", she thought, urging herself to do it.

"Hi Tsubaki. Good morning.", she managed in a low voice.

Soul looked at the time, "We should get going Maka, if it's alright with you that is.", he looked at her.

Maka nodded in approval, gesturing for him to lead the way.  
Soul and Maka said their faint goodbyes, leaving Black*Star and Tsubaki in the small apartment. Soul told Maka about where he lived, exclaiming how it would be a safe place that he'd be more than happy to have her visit. He even told her about his older brother Wes, assuring he was a nice guy and that he'd treat her kindly.  
Maka was reluctant, by the way he described the town something told her she wouldn't fit in. People would look down on her, no, they would pity her. It wasn't that hard. Even in a run down part of town like this one people still managed to feel superior to her untamed, constant misbehavior.  
Soul led Maka down to the parking garage, where they passed several cars until they reached a motorcycle at the end of the lot. She looked at the bike, then back up at Soul.

_"Hell no."_, she thought.

"Don't worry, I drive safe enough, for the most part.", he reassured, as if he'd read her mind.

Maka twitched, remembering the promise she'd made to herself.

_"No hesitation,"_, she thought, _"I will find some way to repay him. The least I could do is cooperate."_

The real problem lay, not in the motorcycle, but in her own fear. She was terrified of falling, terrified of an accident. Most of all she had no idea how to ride a motorcycle, not like the one Soul had just showed her. It looked so simple yet complicated at the same time. She remained still until Soul sat on the edge of the seat.

"Maka what are you waiting for, get on.", he persisted.

"How.."

"Just take a seat behind me and hold on tight.", he looked behind him.

"Alright..", she hesitated, taking a seat and attempting to grip the handles.

"Somewhere else, unless you're really determined to fall off.", he smirked.

"Oh _hell_ no.", she said out loud, referring to where he gestured his hand.

"I don't bite, but the bike will if you don't.", he joked.  
She sighed, gripping her arms around his waste. Before she was completely settled, he slammed the engine and sped off on the bike, leaving Maka tightening her grasp. He felt it as he somewhat looked back at her, seeing her face buried in his jacket.

"Not so _tough_ on a bike huh?", he chuckled.

"Maka..", she raised her voice.

"Huh?"

"CHOP!", she pulled out a small book that she'd managed to carry with her. It was well hidden in her jacket, she'd found it at Black*Stars house and became fascinated in the story very quickly.  
Soul sat defeated, leaning forward on the handles as his head had been smashed, his skull left punctured by the spine of the book.

"Ok Maka, you win.", he managed.

Maka laughed a bit. This surprised him, he hadn't heard her laugh until then. It almost seemed like she was smiling.

"Anyway Maka, hold tight we're almost there.", he reassured, locking his eyes onto the road.

She didn't respond, she kept her tight grip on his waste and used one eye to maintain a slight visual on her surroundings.  
The buildings and houses blurred behind them as he sped forward she tried to ignore the roaring sound of the engine. About five minutes later they'd passed the so familiar side of the city, entering a new territory she'd yet to see. It looked somewhat like the area she'd lived in as a child, the grassy plains and well maintained neighborhood she shared with her mother and father. She stared blankly at the blurring houses, even if she couldn't see them clearly she knew they were perfect. So neat and none were destroyed, no graffiti lining the walls, no cracks or missing parts, absolutely perfect.

"Is this where you live?", she asked, slightly tapping his back.

"No, I live far away from here. It's not in a neighborhood.", he looked back slightly.

"Oh.", she remained silent, trying to imagine what kind of house he must live in.

The ride continued a little longer, until the surrounding houses disappeared completely behind them, leaving no trace of a populated neighborhood. Not very many people were around, he finally took them down a long street filled with even bigger, nicer houses.  
Maka heard a bit of chatter off the streets, surrounding the wide fenced in gates of the houses, he called, "_mansions_."

_"Who is that?"_

_"Soul Eater Evans, the Evans son, he's returned finally."_

_"No no who is that on his back."_

_"No clue, oh well the boy will introduce her i'm sure. Be patient."_

_"I'm not sure if I want to.."_, the voice was cut off as they sped past, away from the loud conversation.

"Is _this_ where you live?", Maka asked, trying to ignore the quick judgement passed from the _"neighbors"_.

"Yeah, it should be nice, you might like it here.", he pulled the bike up to a nearby gate.

This house was much larger than the others, the "_mansion_", was a polished white. It looked almost four stories tall and resembled that of a castle. She'd never seen anything like it before, only on TV shows where they interviewed people who liked to, they called it, "live large".

As they stepped off of the bike, she released her grip, slightly blushing, realizing she'd left a crease in the leather jacket, about the shape of her hands. She looked down at the ground innocently as a taller boy walked up to them both. He looked identical to Soul, minus the sharp teeth. He'd looked a little more "grown" than Soul, with a bit more muscular face.

"Hello Soul. Glad to have you back."

"Hey Wes, I just came to pick up a few things I won't be staying long."

"Well alright. Come inside and introduce me to your friends.", he nodded politely.

* * *

Around the corner, another argument took place.

"Are you gonna do it?", an angry man asked.

"No! You are!", the man beside him replied, in a stern, frightened voice.

"Hell no i'm not doing it, I thought you were supposed to be the "big man"."

"I am, which is why I am ordering YOU to do it!", they proceeded to yell at each other.

_"Boys think clearly,"_, a voice commanded, silently heard through the electronic pieces fastened to their ears.

"Yes ma'am, what would you like us to do.", they responded immediately.

_"Now now, don't be hasty. Your chance will come soon, but if you rush into this you'll be spotted and the plan will be foiled, we wouldn't want that would we? You know how much this means to me, you wouldn't want to disappoint me would you?"_, the voice changed from soothing and reassuring to dark and tedious in less than a second.

"Of course not ma'am, what would you like us to do.", the man chuckled a bit.

_"The girl, get rid of her, destroy her, kidnap her, anything you want really. Just make sure she never sets foot on my streets again."_, she commanded.

"And the boy?", the other man asked hesitantly.

_"Something will have to be done about him too, if you blindly walk in and go after her there's no doubt he'll lash out again and defeat you both in a pit of rage. We wouldn't want that to happen all over again would we?"_, she laughed a bit.

"Of course not, but what do you suppose we do then?", the man held his bandaged nose as he spoke.

_"He's an Evan, of course, you know what you should do then?"_, they remained silent, as they listened carefully.

_"He would make a very promising ransom."_


	6. Somewhat welcomed guest?

**_Another_**** long one, bare with me! {Reviews appreciated, I'd love to know how i'm doing so far.} **

* * *

Soul and Maka followed Wed into the house. Maka tread lightly behind Soul, looking slightly behind her. She felt something was wrong, could the fact she was there finally be bothering her? No, it wasn't that, when that sensation occurred she had the urge to run. To no avail of course, Soul always ended up bringing her back. It wasn't even worth trying anymore. She felt like she was being watched, like they were in danger.

_"Calm down Maka..you always feel like that."_, she calmed herself.

Once able to relax she followed Soul and Wes into the house, where they were greeted by a grand staircase.

"Impressive isn't it?", Wes smiled at Maka.  
Maka nodded politely, reluctant to speak. She'd have to eventually, she knew it.

"So are you going to introduce us Soul?", Wed asked, looking at his seemingly distant brother.

"Oh, right. Wes, this is my friend Maka. Maka, this is my brother Wes.", he looked at Maka.

"Nice to meet you.", Maka managed lightly, flashing another broken smile.

"Nice to meet you too, I hope you had a comfortable ride here. I know how my little brother can be on his bike? He was a gentlemen I assume?", Wes now took Makas' hand, guiding her further into the steps. Soul flinched a little, following behind slowly.  
Maka nodded in agreement.

"You don't talk much do you?", he asked.

She shook her head, in slight disappointment.

"What a shame, i'm sure you have a lovely voice. In fact everything about you appears lovely, it's only fair you have a voice to match. Correct?", he said, making Maka blush slightly.

She did her best to maintain another broken smile, attempting her act as a well behaved, polite person. Soul groaned behind them, rolling his eyes as Wes spoke.

"_Oh?_ What's wrong little brother?", he said, turning around to find Soul looking down, with his hands in both pockets.

"Stop calling me _'little brother'_, I have a name.", he sighed.

"Well anyway, are you going to show Maka around or shall I?", Wes smirked.

"I will, you'll only end up scaring her.", Soul said, jokingly.

"Says the one with the razor sharp teeth.", he replied, half laughing.

Soul waved him away, now taking his place next to Maka leading her up the steps.

"So that's your brother?", Maka asked silently.

"Yeah, sorry, when I said he'd treat you _'nicely'_ I didn't know that's what he had in mind.", he replied, his cheeks slightly red.

"It's fine, I didn't mind really.", she reassured, almost laughing.

"Well anyway, I guess i'll show you around then. What do you wanna see first? We have a ball room, mirror room, bathroom,", he joked, "and we've got some nice closets too.", he led her further up the long steps that seemed to go on forever.  
Maka remained silent as he spoke. She was unsure of what to say, she'd never been in a house like this. Now she feared her poor manners would be enough to drive him away.

_"What? Drive him away? Why do I care? It's not like I would die if he left. I'll be fine without him!"_, she yelled at herself, evading her thoughts.

Soul hadn't seemed to notice the pained look on her face, it seemed normal. She never really enjoyed talking, it was a miracle she'd even said a word when they arrived. The silence was broken by a sound erupting from the bottom of the increasingly long staircase.

"_Soul Eater_!", a woman's voice called, "Come here boy!".

Soul flinched slightly, he'd spoken to him more as a pet than as her son. He didn't want to speak with her, as soon as he did the questions would arise and he'd be unable to explain Maka.

"Hello Mother,", he grit his teeth, looking down at the ground as he made his way back down the long staircase.

"Soul we're having dinner with your father tonight! We'd love it if you stayed with us, maybe you can introduce me to your friend there as well?", she asked ecstatically embracing her son. Soul didn't carry the same embrace, he only bared having his face shoved into the woman's stomach, confined to her grip.

Once she released he managed in a slightly broken voice, "I don't know if that will be possible. We really didn't intend to stay, I just came to pick up some stuff. Also, i'm sure Maka wants to go home? Right Maka?", he nodded towards her.

She nearly jumped at the sound of her name.

"Nonsense! We'd love to have her for dinner! We have allot of catching up to do Soul Eater!", she spoke as if Soul wasn't even a residence in the household. A thought then occurred to Maka.

_"Maybe he isn't.."_

"Wes will take care of her, he'll show her to the guest room!", she insisted, pushing Soul towards the staircase. He flinched at the thought of Wes alone with Maka.

"Actually Mother,", he managed.

His voice was cut off by another man entering the house, "Soul Eater! Good to see you! My you've grown! You're getting to be as big of a man as your father!", he said, slapping the boys shoulder, which only made him flinch even more.

"_Alright_ I give we'll stay, only for dinner. Then we have to leave.", he caved in, fearing another hug from his mother.

Maka looked down at the people in front of the door step. They looked so happy to see him, she couldn't understand why Soul didn't seem to like them. It seemed like he had everything, a mansion, two loving parents, even an older brother. What could he possibly resent about them?  
Her thoughts were interrupted by yet another familiar voice erupting from the other room. Wes had come to join the party, greeting his mom and dad lovingly. Far more openly then Soul.

"Mother, Father, glad you're home! Good to see you, I assume you've met Souls friend?", he chimed in.  
They each looked at each other, then at Wes, then Soul, and finally up at Maka whom remained distant and lingered on the staircase silently.

"In fact we haven't!", the father replied, "Come down here young lady, introduce yourself, we'd _love_ to meet you!".

Maka was near shaking, looking down at the ground treading lightly across the long steps once more, meeting the family at the front of the house, in front of the door.

"The door.", she thought, "No Maka, you can't run again. Stop it.", she scolded herself, attempting to maintain a smile.

They looked down at her, curious as to why she'd been so silent. Soul took a step toward her, ready to catch her if she'd decided to run again.

"Maka don't even think about it. You know i'll just bring you back.", he thought to himself, smirking silently.

"Um, hi, i'm Maka.", she managed in her best voice.

"Nice to meet you Maka, do you have a last name?", the man cooed.

"_Albarn_, Maka Albarn.", she blinked, correcting herself.

"Nice to meet you Maka Albarn, you're a friend of Souls' correct?", the woman joined in.

She nodded politely, holding her hands behind her back. She looked at Soul, who stared at the ground blankly.

"Well if you don't mind we'd like to have a moment with our son, _Wes_ will you be so kind as to take her to the guest room?", the man ordered, grabbing Souls attention.

* * *

Back outside in the more sheltered, fenced in part of the street, an argument continued to rage on.

_"Boys? Did you hear me?_", a womans voice broke the silence, carrying through the devices held to their ears.

"What about this Evans family? How much would they be worth exactly?", the man with a red ear piece replied.

_"Just think about it, the youngest son of a family filled to the brim with musical talent. They're filthy rich too, and willing to pay anything for even the smallest requests. I wonder how much they'd pay to see their son alive and well?"_, her voice once again hardened, _"What do you think? Worth the trip?"_, she cackled_._

"So how do we do it?", the second man asked.

_"Simple, half wits, you kidnap the girl and when the boy comes along to save her, you offer a trade. Then when the trade is made, he'll believe she is safe and take her place, once that happens he's out of the way and you're left with a defenseless moron wandering the streets without a friend in the world. That's when you offer the ransom, and just like that you're rewarding handsomely and the girl is out of my hair and left in your, oh so trustworthy, clutches."_

The men thought of the plan, images of wealth and fame came to mind. The thought of being paid by the hundreds, thousands, _even millions_ made them swell up with joy. They jumped around frantically, fully ready to contemplate how the plan would be carried out. They'd put forward their best effort. Nothing would stop them from reaching their goal, successfully reclaiming what they believed was rightfully theirs. After all of this, they could only think of one thing. No matter what happened, they _always_ resurfaced the winners.

...

* * *

...

Back in the Evans household, another conversation carried out. This time it was between Soul and his surprised parents.

"Son, you're _finally_ home and you don't say a word! We've been incredibly worried! The only time we ever hear from you now is when you have the _nerve_ to drop by, and even then your visits are brief and un-lively.", the father raised his voice slightly at his son.

"I've been busy. Work at the academy gets difficult, I have a life you know.", he sighed.

"Does your work involve worrying your mother to death? If it does you must be getting excellent grades! You've never even shown us a single report card, no word from you at all! Do you know how that makes us feel, Soul Eater?", she cried out, as if trying to breach his emotions. In other words, she tried to pull the "_Guilt-trip_".  
Soul didn't respond, he remained frozen, his eyes glued to the tile, marble floor below him.

"Soul Eater did you hear her?", his father demanded, "Listen to your mother! We're your parents, we deserve an explanation! Not only do you completely ignore us but now you bring this _strange_ girl to our doorstep.", his last statement made him look up.

"She's not that strange, and yeah, I heard you, you can shut up now. I get it i'll visit more often."

"_SOUL EATER EVANS_. Don't you _EVER_ address us in that tone of voice! The nerve of you! You're lucky we love you, or you wouldn't be getting any dinner tonight!".

Soul remained unphased by the screaming, even in the slightest. The only reason he'd bothered to answer was to keep the fight from turning to Maka.  
The conversation was interrupted by a loud scream coming from the second floor.

"Maka!", he called, racing up the steps.


	7. Welcoming the unwelcomed

**Obsessed with long chapters, I ****_tried_**** to restrain this time. ~****Sorry**

* * *

Soul was the first to race up the steps, soon followed by his slow moving parents. He paced frantically, searching for the guest room she was in.

_"Wes if something happened I swear to god."_, he thought.

"Relax!", Wes' voice called.

As Soul heard this he'd finally located the large guest room. Maka was catching her breath, leaning against the wall near the window.

"_Those men_.. _Soul_..", she managed silently. Wes hadn't caught it but Soul heard it perfectly. He guided her away from the window, unsure whether or not she'd imagined it, but either way he didn't want to risk scaring her any further. She was reluctant to come here in the first place, he didn't want to add 'insult-to-injury' by scaring her to death. He held her shoulders lightly, allowing her to slowly catch her breath. As she calmed herself his parents entered the room.

"What's going on in here?!", the man screamed.

"Nothing, Maka here just got a little frightened, i'm sure it's nothing.", Wes reassured.

"Does she need anything?", the mother asked, "Maybe we should call a medic!", she began to panic.

"It's fine, I've got it, we'll see you at dinner.", Soul interrupted.

"Well if you're sure, we'll just let things quiet down. _Soul Eater_, we're expecting you both to be downstairs at the dinner table at exactly six o'clock. Be sure to dress nicely, we're having a formal dinner. Lovely time to get acquainted and catch up a bit don't you think?", he laughed, looking at Maka.

"Yeah we got it, you guys can go now.", Soul said, shooing them away.  
They left, somewhat disappointed in their sons behavior. As soon as the room was clear and the door had been shut, he managed to calm Maka down, and explain what had happened.

"_I don't think_.._I was imagining it_. It seemed too real.", she sighed.

"I believe you Maka, I don't know how they'd manage to follow us here though. Maybe it was just somebody who looked exactly like them?"  
She shook her head, looking down.

"It doesn't matter right now Maka, whether they're here or not they're smoking way too much if they think anything is going to happen.", he reassured, looking down at her tired face.

"Here, for now we'll just focus on dinner, then we'll leave. Alright?", he walked over to the closet, pulling out various gowns and pant-suits.

They were a very formal family, and expected their guests to present themselves in the same manner.  
After looking through a few, Maka decided on a black lace dress. She preferred it because of how easily it appeared to slide on and off. In case the moment arose she'd be ready to run far away. No matter who she was with, or how comfortable she felt, she'd always be ready.  
Soul stayed with her up until a few minutes before dinner, where he grabbed a tuxedo and glided downstairs.  
Soon Wes opened the door to the guest room, alerting Maka that dinner was ready. She followed him down, listening to his charming conversation starters.

"You look absolutely lovely, Maka.", he cooed.

Maka blushed slightly and followed slowly, where she was led to an enormous dining room, with a wide table placed in the center. There were bowls and spoons placed on the table, along with cold refreshing glasses of water. It looked almost too good to be true. Soul and his parents had already taken their seats. Souls face had turned beat red as he noticed Maka descending into the room. She looked stunning, to say the least.

_"Blushing? Idiot, how uncool."_, he sighed to himself, evading his naive thoughts.

Maka took a seat next to Soul, across from Wes. His parents each took a regal chair at the end of each side of the table.  
Soon, what appeared to be servants, rushed in to serve the food. Soul and Maka sat quietly as the food was placed in front of them. Maka was casually silent, taking small bites of the glorious food that had been placed in front of her, sipping on the well replenishing, ice cold water. Soul wasn't hungry, he simply stared at his food tapping his fingers on the table, leaning on his elbow.

"_So_,", the father spoke up, breaking the silence, "how did you and Maka meet, Soul?"  
It was obvious Soul had prepared a partial lie, "I was looking for Wes' jacket, she happened to wear one identical to it and we just started talking.

"Where have you been staying lately? And what about her? Where does she live?", his mother chimed in with ongoing questions.

"She lives not too far from here,", he lied, "I've been staying with a friend.", he kept his answers short.

"What a_ lie_.", Wes spoke up, nearly causing Maka and Soul to jump out of their seats, "A _lovely_ young lady like this wouldn't be wandering about alone, _surely_ a strong man had been accompanying her?"

Soul muttered something under his breath, that no one seemed to hear. His parents seemed quite amused by his remark, feeling the need to treat it as if a lovely symphony had just been played, applauding every bit of it, praising their son.

"Well it's a good thing she lives nearby, I don't think we could handle it if you brought another street rat in here.", his father chimed in, only raising the laughter between the three.

Soul clenched his fist, restraining himself. Maka lost her appetite, looking down at Souls' hands under the table, as she could hear his knuckles cracking slightly.

"That boy, Kid, he's a fine lad. We can handle him, he certainly knows something about proper manners. _But that Black*Star_, boy that kid is _annoying_!", his mother joined in.

"Oh yes, not to mention the Thompson sisters, those girls are down right strange!", they began to carry the conversation between the two.

"That's what happens when kids don't have the proper guidance, no parents! Then what happens? The kids get shoved off onto more deserving, well behaved people like us, and we're expected to tolerate their constant misbehavior!" the mother laughed, extremely proud of her statement, as if she'd just solved one of the greatest mysteries of the world.  
It took all of Souls' strength to keep from jumping up and leaving. Maka noticed his hands tensing up, as he tapped faster and faster on the table. She lightly tapped his hand under the table, tracing his skin lightly as if signaling him to relax. Wes took no part in the conversation, he just nodded along like the obedient child they adored so much.

"Do you know what's worse than misbehaved children?"

"What would that be dear?"

"Those dirty, filthy children that live on the other side of the city, I've only been there once and I have to say, if a _**tragedy**_ were to happen,", the father paused.

"Yes?", the mother urged him to continue.

"Well let's just _**hope**_ it would take the lives of every bit of _lowly trash_ they call _children_ living on that inhumane part of of town! Honestly, those people hardly have a place on the earth. Oh well, they're just gods lessors, the forgotten half."

Their words began to hit Maka like a ton of bricks. How could people say such cruel things so consciously Maka wanted to run now, more than ever. She knew she wouldn't be able to fight it anymore. Her fingers began tightening, gripping Souls' hand. He knew what she wanted to do, he knew she couldn't take much more.

"Let's go Maka,", Soul interrupted their laughter, grabbing Makas hand leading her outside quickly.

As predicted, she ended up throwing the dress off of her as Soul did the same with his tuxedo. They both had the same idea, wearing their clothes underneath. Soul located his bike and Maka took her place behind him, gripping tightly onto his waste, hugging his back. A few tears swelled up in her eyes, nearly impossible to fight off.

"I'm so sorry Maka.", Soul managed, fighting his anger.

"It wasn't your fault.", Mak managed silently. It was easy to tell she was choking back tears, which only made Soul even more furious. They kept going until they reached a park far away from the snobby "_Evans_" household.  
He parked his bike near a clean bench and began to pace.

"_Argh_! I hate them!", he shouted as silently as possible.

"Soul if you need to scream go ahead and scream.", she sighed, noticing his volume level.

Soul looked at her, leaning on a nearby tree. He looked up at the evening sky. He needed to scream, he'd been holding it in for too long.  
He took a deep breath, and screamed at the top of his lungs. Maka stood up and approached him with both hands tucked in her pockets. He caught his breath and took a look at Maka.

"I'm sorry Mak-", his voice was interrupted once more as he was pulled into a tight hug. She proceeded to cry lightly on his shoulder, never breaking the hug. He hugged her back, patting her back and comforting her until she'd let out every long-time coming tear.  
After they'd both relaxed and caught their breath, they broke into small conversation, for the first time. It finally occurred to Maka, they didn't need to have a conversation to tell what the other was thinking. She knew this entire time it'd been a series of colliding events.

"_Soul_", she began, watching as Soul took a seat beneath a nearby shady tree.

"Yeah?", he managed.

"Do you live with them?"

"_No_, I have my own apartment far away from them, I don't live here I live near the academy."

"It seemed like they missed you."

"They liked telling people they had two sons at home, who are both "extremely talented" with musical instruments. I just happened to play the piano, that's what they missed. Not me, the attention.", he sighed.

"Oh, well i'm sorry.", Maka sighed as well.

"_Sorry_? What have you done?"

"Well in case you forgot, I've been acting pretty uncool."

"You have the right, I was the uncool one, for blaming Wes' missing jacket on you."

Maka ran out of things to say, she wanted to reassure him that she was fine with it, or she was used to it. Nothing she could say seemed to make things better, in the long run it only made him worry more.  
The sun went down. The only people around were Soul and Maka. She began to realize how far from home they were and how late it was getting, when Soul began yawning. The wind started blowing and it became unusually comfortable outside. Maka now leaned against the same tree, staring down at Soul. His yawning was contagious, she too had the urge to shut her eyes and rest for a while. Subconsciously her back began to slide down the tree, planting herself next to Soul. She found herself fighting to stay awake, and gave in as soon as she noticed Souls' entirely too relaxed body. He'd fallen asleep, and so would she. There she lay, leaning on his shoulder sleeping peacefully, as a slight smile drew across his face.

* * *

"_What an easy target_. Laying in the middle of the park like that. Let's teach them a lesson _shall we?_", a low voice spoke from the other end of the park, sealing itself within the bushes.

Another voice agreed silently,

"_Let's_."


	8. Fear, Irritations, Rationalizations

An hour or so passed by and Maka had become restless in her sleep. Soul remained the same, positioned calmly against the tree. Maka had ended up on her side, using Souls' lap as a pillow. The world was peaceful as it briefly allowed them to forget the harsh moment that took place at the Evans household. Never had anybody been so civilized yet said something so harsh. She didn't think it was possible, this was a new level of cruel.

Soul opened his eyes a little, finally irritated by the tree on his back and the force on his legs. He looked down to see Maka resting quietly. His heart was pounding, beating faster as a familiar feeling washes over him. This time he had the urge to touch her hair, playfully messing with the tan ponytails.

_"What the hell? No way. She'll kill you.", he thought._

His thoughts were interrupted by a song in the bushes. He looked around, without trying to disturb Maka. There was no one around, no one they could visibly see.  
He looked up to find somebody standing in front of them. He hadn't noticed him before, why was that? The boy was wearing a suit with three stripes on each shoulder, symmetrically lined all the way down to the pants. He had long black hair with three white stripes on the right side.

"Oh hey Kid.", he greeted.

"Hello Soul. Who might this be?", Kid asked, pointing down at Maka.

"Friend, it's been a long day and I don't think we can make it home tonight. We fell asleep before we decided on a place to stay so we're just gonna crash here for the night.", he replied, fighting the reoccurring thoughts that clouded his mind.

"I see, why not stay at your parents house?"

"Royal pains in the asses."

"I take it they haven't changed since my last visit?"

"Not at all. They've gotten worse. On top of that Wes is annoying me, he keeps making these smart ass remarks..", he hesitated.

"Well then, how about for the night you and Maka stay at my house?"

"Well..", he thought for a minute, "I guess it's better than keeping her outside all night. Hell, why not Kid."

"Wonderful, wake her up and follow me.", the boy now pulled out a jet black skateboard, with polished wheels.

Reluctantly, Soul woke Maka up and carried her on his back to his bike, where he followed Kid to the mansion. Maka was too tired to fight him now, and even if she'd gathered the strength she wasn't sure if she would. She was much more calm with him now, though Kid may not be such an exception.

After fifteen minutes or so, they reached the cobblestone court yard, perfectly aligned on each side leading up to the long marble doors of the polished mansion. This mansion was slightly smaller than the Evans household, which they didn't mind. They found it more inviting this way.  
Kid led them into the mansion, where he proceeded to call out, "Liz! Patty!".

"Oh they're finally back?", Soul asked, looking around as he woke Maka up.

Kid nodded, calling out once more, "LIZ! PATTY!"

"Kid! Calm down we're coming!", a female voice shouted through the other room, "Unless you want us to come downstairs naked, shut up!"

Kid slightly blushed, coughing as he caught his breath, "Take your time ladies."

Maka chuckled a bit as she opened her eyes, listening in on the funny conversation.

"Where are we?", she asked, looking around, "Back at..the mansion?"

"No, this is Kids mansion. His father lets him live here with two other girls, Liz, and Patty. They're nice, trust me.", Soul replied.

"Oh, that name sounds familiar."

"He's the mayors son."

"Come to think of it I did hear allot about Death having a son"

"Yes, i'm also student body president at the academy, that's the school Soul attends."

"Kid, can we talk about it some other time, Maka looks tired, right Maka?", Soul looked at Maka, as if pleading with his eyes she'd somehow suddenly become tired.

Maka nodded, giving into the look on his face, telling her he'd rather not get into it.

"Very well, Liz and Patty will escort you to the guest rooms."

"Who said we were doing this?", a voice chimed up from the side of the room.

A tall girl with long brown hair spoke. She wore a red shirt, cropped down below her chest and low black jeans. There was a blue trimmed hat placed on top of her brown hair.

"I'll do it!", a cheerful voice called out from behind the tall girl.

This girl was blonde, she had short hair and looked identical to the brown haired girl standing before her. She had low shorts instead of jeans and rosy cheeks followed by a bright smile when she spoke. Above all she was much more outgoing.

"Patty don't you think you're taking this a little too lightly? This is the third time today Kid has tried to treat us like servants. Don't you think that's weird Patty? Even for him?", the tall one asked.

"Don't know!", Patty cheered.

Kid looked defeated, shamefully walking over to the girls, "Fine, fine, you can have whatever you want. I give up."

"That's more like it.", the tall one, 'Liz', spoke.

"Yay!", Patty cheered once more.

"Follow us.", Liz motioned Soul and Maka forward into the large mansion.

Halfway up the steps Liz interrupted, "So are you gonna introduce us, Soul?", she looked down at him.

"Oh, Liz this is Maka, Maka this is Liz. She's not as mean as she seems, only when she's around Kid, trust me.", he replied, keeping his eyes on the floor and his hands laced into his pockets. Maka walked beside him, a little more confidently.

"Welcome Maka, this is my sister Patty,", she pointed to the blonde girl beside her who seemed to be in her own world, "I hope Soul hasn't given you any trouble. You just let us know and we'll cut his,", she was interrupted by a scream coming from the far off left corridor. Soul almost looked relieved she hadn't finished.

"Kid? Is that you?", she called.

"Liz! Patty! _Emergency!_", he shouted back.

"What is it Kid!", they rushed up to the guest room in the corridor he'd been standing in. They looked at Kid, now on his knees, pounding his fist against the floor.

"Kid, what is it?", Liz asked, placing a kind hand on his shoulder.

"_I can't.._", he stammered, "_go on like this.._"

"Tell us what's wrong Kid! We'll help you!", she prodded.

"_...THIS PAINTING IS COMPLETELY UNSYMMETRICAL. SUCH GARBAGE ALLOWED IN MY HOUSE SHOULD NOT BE TOLERATED!_", he screamed, punching the floor harder.

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME", Liz's soft voice changed and took a darker form, as she kicked him out of the room, ripping him away from the painting.

As he was escorted away they could hear faint struggling coming from the halls, taking Kids voice, "No! I'm garbage..I should die..I'm scum! I shouldn't be allowed to,", the voice was cut off by another hard kick delivered from Liz, and a crucial amount of laughing erupting from the depths of Patty's stomach.

"That was..interesting", Maka said, thinking back to what Black*Star once said back at the apartment.

_"So that's a symmetry fit.."_, she thought.

"Yeah, sorry he's not like that usually, just, don't mention the number seven. He might explode.", Soul reassured, with a slightly ashamed look on his face.

_"Make that number one, on the 'weirdest things I've ever heard in my life', list."_, she thought to herself, with a blank face painted on.

"Anyway, i'll be in the guest room down the hall. You'll be fine for the night, Maka?", he asked.

"Yeah,", she nodded, "I'll see you in the morning,", she yawned, sitting on the, she now realized to be perfectly symmetrical, bed.

"Yeah,", he nodded back, walking out of the room, shutting the door.

Maka fell silent, as she realized she'd had enough sleep at the park. Not tired at the slightest, she recalled the book she'd taken from Black*Stars apartment. It looked as if it'd never been open, and Black*Star hadn't seemed like the type of person to read.

_"He won't miss it."_, she reassured herself, pulling out the book, that was well hidden in her jacket.

For an hour or so she sat in bed, reading the book. It was a novel, something she hadn't had the pleasure to read in a very long time. Heroes mythical creatures, legends, every bit of the story pulled Maka in just a bit more. Before she knew it, midnight approached quickly. She'd begun to notice the slight change in time when she had a slight yawning fit, and fell back on the soft pillow. It was even softer than the couch at Black*Stars, which in turn was much more comfortable than the rusty floor she'd slept in at the apartment. Now that she thought about it, the very idea of returning to the run down apartment complex frightened her. It shook the very depths of her soul. She knew she'd have to go back, she knew it was only a matter of time.

Her eyelids weighed down on her, making only half of the room visible. The dark overwhelmed her, it looked much more peaceful. Thoughts of him washed over her mind, she was too tired to have any control, she had no choice but to allow the mix of sudden emotions to pass over her, hoping they'd disappear soon enough.

She soon found herself in a dream-like state of mind. The world around her was dark, she was the only person in sight. She couldn't identify where she was or how she'd gotten there. Somehow she felt cold, the wind slapped her in the face, confining chilling memories into her precious thoughts. The image of the apartment now formed around her. The rooms were empty, with only crumbs of food surrounding the kitchen. It looked much more ruined, and the air she found much more musty than she had before. The inviting glow it once held was now only a memory.

* * *

There was a knock at the door.  
She was certain it would be Medusa, ready to escort her out once more by the pigtails in her hair. The previous painful grip she'd once held for over ten minutes, now resurfaced her mind. It bewildered her, how well she could recall the pain. It felt as if she'd relived it all over again, and she couldn't take it.  
The door slammed open, she was right. Medusa had once more taken a grip onto her sensitive pigtails, pulling her through the door.

"Stop it! Let go! It hurts!", Maka screamed, this time trying to fight her rough hands. Even Medusa seemed more hostile than before.

"You're a bad child Maka and bad children must be punished.", Medusa had a snake-like look on her face, her lip curled up on both sides of her face and her eyes looked as if they had spotted a nearby mouse, in which they'd feast upon without a moment of hesitation. She looked absolutely insane.

Medusa pulled her closer, confining Maka into her tight grip. Her hands now took the place of her shoulder, digging their nails into Maka's skin. The pain seemed too real, much too real to be a dream. Medusa laughed, dragging Maka into what she knew would be her ultimate doom.  
Suddenly, there was a swift slice. The woman had resulted into nothing but a pile of ash, trailing below Makas feet. She looked up to see her hero, in a very odd formation. It was Soul.

He looked much different than he had since she'd last seen him, before she pressed her nose into a book. He was wearing his usual outfit, not much had changed. Same leather jacket, same brown pants, same white hair and crimson eyes, followed by his gorgeous toothy smile. Except, this time taking the place of his left arm, was that of a large blade. It was read, with black pointed decorations lining the top and bottom. He didn't look human.

Maka now realized what had happened, she'd read too much. The book was about people known as Meisters, who partnered up with other people, who had the ability to turn into weapons. The main character and her weapon could be described in the exact same way as Soul looked now. Her mind had managed to trick her, instead of the violent tempered Medusa, she'd had the personality trait of a witch. The evil, snake like witch in which had been responsible for permanent damage carried into the main character.

"Soul?", she asked, somewhat afraid of this form.

He hadn't spoken, he kept his toothy grin plastered onto his face. He proceeded to walk forward, into the apartment, as the dark blade had been replaced by his arm. Once inside, he fell forward pulling Maka into an unwillingly tight hug. She embraced him as well, not noticing his left arm had once again turned into that of a sharp, curved blade.

"Maka.", he managed, in a somewhat darker voice.

She looked beside her, as the large blade now extend behind her. She was unable to move, and unable to panic.

"Soul..Don't.", she whispered.

Before she could finish her sentence, he released a single swipe, that seemed to rip her half.

* * *

Maka jolted up in bed, screaming. She feared for her life as she looked down at her body, knowing it would be severed and damaged. No, it was completely in tact and unharmed. She looked down at herself then at her book.  
Her screams were followed by the panicked and rushed sound of footsteps as he door swung open, revealing an out of breath Soul.

"Maka are you alright?", he peered into the guest room.

"No,", she couldn't relax. It seemed too real to be a dream.

"Maka what's wrong?", he came closer.

"Get away from me Soul.", she tensed.

"What?"

"Get away!", she swat his hand away as he'd tried to touch her shoulder.

"Maka what's wrong!", he panicked.

Her face swelled up in small tears, as the seemingly never ending nightmare kept coming back to her. She knew it was a matter of time, he'd end up hurting her, or she'd do it first. Either way, she always found herself back into the uncomfortable grasp of the small apartment. Medusa would soon have her.

She then thought of something, much more comforting than the thoughts swelling in her mind. She ignored Souls plea for communication as one vital image of freedom overwhelmed her.

The door.

* * *

"Why couldn't we just grab her!", a voice demanded.

_"Patience boys, we can't stumble in there and expect a clean fight, and a clean getaway. In my opinion even a monkey would've figured that out. The mayors son was there, we can't just let him witness everything and run straight back to his father. Do you want to end up in a federal prison for the rest of your life?"_, the familiar, controlling voice erupted from the device attached to his ear.

"We can take that little brat too!", the other man exclaimed.

_"Not possible, the boy is extensively trained in martial arts and there's no doubt the other boy and Maka will fight back as well. Rationalize, then attack your pray with might. Once you've got them by surprise the dinner is yours and you'll both be rewarded handsomely "_, it was hard to tell whether she was speaking metaphorically, or she had the true intentions to devour their minds, body, and soul.

"Well what do we do now? The brats have shelter and we're out here in the freezing cold!", the first man exclaimed once more.

_"Easy, you wait for an opening. Surround yourself in darkness, wait until she's least expecting it and then when she's terrified, use her fear against her. Honestly this is elementary."_, the voice sighed.

"What do you expect us to do now that she's got all of those people glued to her side?!", he asked impatiently.  
She sighed as she replied once more, in her dark, malice tone.

_"Bring her home."_


	9. Helpless

**Sorry I haven't been updating, writers block you know.**

**Okay back to the story.**

* * *

"Maka, you have to tell me what's going on.", Soul pleaded, looking down at her with strained, sad eyes.

Before he'd even determined what he'd just witnessed, she ran past him. After frantically running down a few more corridors and down a few more stairs she'd reach the entrance. On the way there she could hear the low sound of footsteps after her, no doubt it was Soul. This time she was determined, there was no way she would return. The warm feeling of his embrace was too much to bare, it had been too good to be true and in a matter of time she'd only wake up from this dream of hers, that felt too sweet to be apart of the cold depths of reality.  
She reached the door.

_"Never again. I can't stay. Stop hesitating!"_, she thought as she reluctantly took a slow step forward.

One step, then another, and in no time she'd broken into a run. She finally escaped, she was out the door and running to the only place she'd been momentarily familiar with. The park? Maybe further? She didn't know. The cobblestone melted away below her feet and soon was replaced by the scratchy, gruff sound of worn shoes clattering against the cold pavement. She was on her way, a part of her told her she knew exactly where she needed to go, but the other threatened a place where she'd no longer know suffering. The warm, inviting home she'd entered in which she'd have no choice but to surrender sooner or later. A life of luxury is nothing, it's only a faint dream.

_"The apartment."_, the image of the small apartment flooded her mind.

There was no way he'd be able to find her there, he'd never be able to pick the abandoned apartment out from the rest. It looked fully inhabited due to the junk spread around it, in which was abandoned by the previous tenant. No one ever complained and nobody threw them away, even Medusa hadn't seemed to care. However, she couldn't say the same thing about Maka's multiple intrusions of the idle apartment.

It seemed to take an hour to get there, as every step she took seemed to weigh down the further away he ran from the mansion, from the soft bed, from the great food, from Soul. Everything piled heavily onto her mind with no mercy shown, the only way to shut out the thoughts would surely be to abandon them. Just as someone she'd once known had done, she's forget everything and only care for herself. That would be the easy way out.

_"Right?"_, she pressured herself.

_"Wrong. You didn't forget about me did you?"_, this time a different voice had crept into her mind. It was a familiar, shark-like voice.

_"Soul? Where are you?"_, she turned around, seeing no one beside her, in front, or behind her what-so-ever.

_"Huh?"_, she sighed a bit in slight relief, breaking into another run.

She'd familiarized herself on the short ride there, mapping out an escape route if necessary. No matter the circumstances, she'd always be prepared. The houses began to blur past her, as she ran even faster, nearly defying the speed of an average person. How she was able to move so fast, was still a mystery. Her body had definitely been ill-nourished, she wasn't treated to any constant meals or healthy vitamins, or whatever the normal kids had added to their daily athletic lives. However, she was certainly used to running, speeding away from her enemies, or simply to her next destination.

On her way down the long streets she'd managed to take a few cuts through various fields, no matter what she wanted to be sure Soul wouldn't follow her. If he had there's no doubt she wouldn't be able to get away this time, not without some kind of transportation and at this point she was at a disadvantage. After all, he had a motorcycle, she had legs.

_"Almost there."_, she reassured herself, hopping over yet another fence.

This time she'd reached a park, it was different from the others she'd seen so far. This one was empty, it consisted of nothing but a field, a pile of sand filled with volley-ball nets and two goals set on a field made precisely for soccer games. This park was dry, it had no real taste as it looked like it'd been abandoned far too long ago, as it lay there in the middle of nowhere, absolutely deserted.

_"This park."_, she thought, as she was suddenly familiarized with her surroundings, _"Impossible, I got here that fast?"._

Now it was certain, there would be no going back. She mapped out the route to the small complex in her head as she tread once more down the slippery road, covered with morning frost. The familiar shapes of graffiti lined the walls as she wrapped her footsteps around curve after curve, making her way quietly to the familiar, abandoned place she called hell, also known as her luxurious home.

Without a moment of hesitation she flung the door open, running inside and knealing down, holding her stomach. The run had taken allot out of her, she hadn't predicted it'd take so much energy running back.

"I hadn't thought I'd be coming back.", she sighed to herself, setting her newly found book onto the floor, "Guess I won't be returning it.".

"Perfect, you're here. We'd thought you'd miss out on all the fun.", an unwelcoming voice called behind her.

She turned around to see two pairs of eyes glaring down at her. The two men flicked on the dim lights, revealing their blood thirsty grins plastered onto their faces. The hate was unquestionable, a spark of madness surfaced the inside of their minds, slowly eating away at their very soul. She didn't know how, she just knew it was happening. A gut wrenching feeling surfaced within her. Fear had finally arrived.

"My legs.. are numb. I won't be able to run. I'm out of breath, I can't fight.", she panicked silently.

"Let's rip her apart shall we?", the tall man cooed.

"Weren't there three of you?", she chimed up in her best voice, intending to put on a mask of bravery.

"What's it to you?", the short one retorted.

"He didn't exactly want to cooperate, he didn't leave well enough alone and let's just say we don't like nosy trash. Our only other option was to throw him away.", the tallest laughed, his eyes seemingly peering through her soul.

"Stop fooling around, kill the brat.", a low voice commanded through a small earpiece she'd noticed in both mens ears.

"Yes Ma'am.", they replied.

"Who are you talking to?", she asked, unable to hear the low voice in the earpieces.

"None of your business you damn brat!", he commanded, taking a step closer.

"Maka..", she murmured.

"CHOP!", she screamed, forcing a book into the undeserving skull of the tallest man.

"DAMNIT!", he rubbed his injured cranium, looking to the other man blocking the door.

* * *

_**[Mean-While]**_

"Soul. What's going on?", Kid asked, standing in the opposite doorway.

"Sorry Kid, I have to go.", he replied, staring down at the floor.

"Why? What happened? Is it Maka?"

"Yeah, I need to go get her.", he replied reluctantly.

"Is she alright?"

"I don't know, that's why I have to leave."

"I should come too. I'll take Liz and Patty."

"No, I need to do it alone, she won't come back if you're with me. I don't know if you've noticed but she isn't exactly around here, she's not that trusting. I can't even tell if she trusts me at this point, but it doesn't matter now.", he clenched his fists,  
"I need to bring her back, having her here against her will is better than her ending up anywhere else, at least here we're not a bunch of creepy weirdos..", he sighed.

"Soul did something happen? Where exactly did you say you met her?", Kid stepped forward, offering a curious glance.

"I told you, it doesn't matter.", he hopped on his bike, "I'm wasting time here. I need to go now.", he said, starting the engine.

He nodded, watching reluctantly as Soul sped away on his motorcycle, asymmetrically pulling out of the garage.

"COME BACK HERE AND DO IT AGAIN!", he shouted, gathering Liz and Patty's attention, proceeding to hold him back and prevent the obsessive child from hurting anybody, or himself.

* * *

**[Apartment]**

"Out of my way!", Maka screamed, praying she would somehow come across as a brave soul.

"You're out of your mind if you think you're getting away you little brat.", the short man chided, blocking the exit.

"I don't care what you say, there are other people living in this building they're bound to here me!", she began to raise her voice.

"Actually, the buildings been evacuated. A mysterious fire went off in one of the lower complexes, I wonder how that happened.", the taller man laughed, regaining feeling in his skull.

"You idiots would go that far just for something as stupid as this?", she sighed in disgust.

"Well, we did have a helping hand in the matter but she won't be doing the dirty work. She'll be taking care of another brat for the moment, I think you might know him. What's his name again Giriko? Please, refresh my memory.", the short man let out yet another disturbing laugh.

"Hmm, let me think Noah. Oh that's right, it's the Evans brat. Soul Eater.", he laughed in response, watching in amusement as Maka clenched her fists.

"Bastards..", she mumbled.

"What? If you don't want the brat getting hurt, you should let us now. It's not too late, you know.", Giriko laughed once more.

"Your first mistake was giving me your names, your second mistake was expecting to win a fight with me. Your third, and final mistake, is just that. Nobody is touching Soul, I don't care who you are.", she grit her teeth.

This time she hadn't been faking the bravery, her fear had been replaced with hate and anger. Though she was relieved it was gone, getting reckless with the situation would undermine the point of strength and bravery. Even then a fight wouldn't carry a promising outcome, she'd yet to regain the strength in her legs, and was still trying to catch her breath. At this rate, the winner would be determined before the fight had even started.

"Who cares what you think. The jobs probably already done, as for you, what do you care? You ran away didn't you? He was obviously going to leave you eventually. Who wouldn't?_ Right?_", Noah laughed, nodding to Giriko as he stood up behind Maka.

_"They're surrounding me."_, she thought, analyzing her surroundings, _"If I try moving to the side there's no doubt with the weight on my legs, I won't be fast enough. If I try sliding past Noah there's a good chance I won't make it, or Giriko will just catch me. If I stay still, i'm dead. Damnit."_

"Hey look, she's shaking!", Giriko laughed.

"How cute, the brat's scared. Let's do it now.", he laughed as well, gripping Maka by the neck.

He lifted her up off of the ground by her neck, slamming her back into a nearby wall. It was unbearable it was the first time in a very long time she'd actually felt helpless. Aside from that, all she could think about was the safety of her friends. She only prayed he had given up his search, staying within the safety of the mansion. However, another part of her prayed for his help. The comforting hug, the kind gestures, the glow in his broken smile. It was too much, it overwhelmed her to the point of confusion. She'd taken the dream as a warning, but now she knew why it had taken place in her dusty apartment.

There was no doubt about it, she was certainly going to die here.


	10. Kidnapped

Soul raced on his motorcycle. His emotions worked against him, he couldn't seem to clear his head. This was a huge city, there was a number of places she could have gone. Worse, he didn't know the city as well as she did. All he knew, he had no choice but to find her. When she left, he could feel it, a piece of his soul had been taken with her. He'd simply have to find her and ask for it back.

He smirked.

"Slow down!", a voice called in front of him.

He served on the bike, skidding to a sudden stop as he nearly hit the person in front of him. It was a familiar woman.

"What are you doing here, get out of my way you're blocking the road!", he commanded.

"That's very rude. Here I was about to offer you a piece of mind and you go yelling at a poor woman like that!", her face swelled up with fake tears.

"Medusa, I'm warning you. Get out of the way. Why are you even here.", he demanded.

"If you would just listen to me and be a good boy, I could give you something that would put both of our minds at ease.", she replied with a slight smirk on her face.

"What could you possibly have that I would want.", he sighed.

"Well you're looking for her aren't you, and I want her out of my hair", she laughed, "If you would just take her off of my hands, I would be free from her constant trouble making, and you'd have her safe and sound, back in your arms once more. Doesn't that sound _nice?_", she cooed, still laughing.

"She was never _"in my arms"_, in the first place, for one. Second, how could you possibly know where she is.", he narrowed his eyes, face flushing a slight red.

"Where else would she go, once there's nowhere to turn to?"

He thought for a moment.

Before he could finish processing the idea, his foot had slammed the gas, skidding right past Medusa, on his way to the one place she'd known as a sanctuary for so long.

"Get off of me!", she commanded, losing her voice.

"No way!", Noah laughed.

"You would make a fine bargain, what a lovely figure you have.", Giriko stated in a disturbing voice.

"Now now, we both know the Evans brat is our first priority. We'll deal with her later, Giriko.", Noah laughed, slamming Maka up against the wall once more.

_"Damnit.."_, she thought, _"Soul.."_, his image overwhelmed her mind as she drifted of into unconsciousness.

He reared into the closed off drive way, hopping over the many police lines sectioning off the area. Strangely enough, there was no sign of a police car nearby at all. The entire apartment had been deserted, which was odd, something like that didn't happen unless there was a definite emergency.

A feeling twisted in his stomach as he made his way up to the abandoned complex. She'd never exactly told him where it was, he was going by feeling. An idea swelled in his mind. If he remained quiet, he'd certainly hear any sounds coming from the building. Maka had to be there, he just knew it.

A few turns on the stairs, up and down, left and right, until he'd finally managed to land himself in front of a room with boarded up windows. He took a deep breath, dragging every bit of strength in his body to his leg.

He kicked the door down.

"Maka!", he screamed, watching as she fell down, released from the confining grip of the man he'd beaten not too long ago. She collapsed onto her knees, then down onto her face, bruised and battered.

Anger swelled within him reaching heights he hadn't known possible.

"There! Now Giriko!", shouted the man who'd just released Maka.

A swift, powerful kick was delivered to Souls side. He felt his back smashing up against the dry wall in the narrow hallway trailing from the door.

Giriko stood and laughed, towering over the boy. He clenched his fist, pounced up and punched Giriko in the face before he could let out another single laugh. Two against one, both exceedingly larger than he. The fight didn't look good, but he knew he had a chance, he just had to take one.

"You don't stand a chance kid, leave while you can.", Noah sat on the ground next to Maka, "I remember the first fight don't you. You got very lucky, but this time you won't have such an advantage.", he let out a ridiculous laugh.

"In case you pricks haven't noticed, there's two of you this time. There were three of you last time, and you still got your ass kicked!", Soul protested, never taking his eyes off of Maka.

"Maybe you'll think twice next time before messing with us!", Noah shouted, in an even more deranged voice.

Before Soul could grasp the situation, Giriko had stood up and slammed him into the wall, pinning him there. He grabbed the small boys chin forcing him to look down at Maka, where Noah stood up and lifted her by her pig tails. The pain woke her at last, and she screamed out in absolute fear and suffering.

"Let her go!", Soul screamed at the top of his lungs, trying to break free.

"Soul?", Maka looked up, right before Noah had kicked her in the stomach, knocking her right back down on the ground.

"Bastard.", she coughed.

"Be good little children, and maybe we can settle this like adults.", laughed Giriko.

"As if we'd ever listen to you.", growled Maka.

"First of all, shut it.", Noah leaned down to her face, holding her down by placing his foot on her stomach.

"Second, we make the rules now, so shut the hell up and listen you little twirps.", Giriko let our another insane laugh, twisted Souls shirt, which he gripped firmly in his hands.

Soul tried to look down at Maka, who struggled under Noah's leg.

_"Damnit..Maka.."_, thought Soul, flinching slightly at the grip on his shirt.

"Now, we're willing to let Maka go.", Noah stated, grabbing Souls attention, "If you stay behind.", he pointed directly at Soul.

"Not gonna happen.", growled Maka even louder.

"Shut up, you don't have a say in this.", Giriko laughed, only a hair away from pissing Maka off to reaching maximum rage.

"I'll do it.", Soul interrupted, noticing Noah's leg, asserting more pressure to her stomach.

"What? Soul you can't be serious!", she protested, ignoring the pain.

"Maka, just run! Get out of here!", he sighed.

"You heard him brat", Noah lifted her up by her hair as she let out another scream.

Soul sighed, looking forward as Giriko raised his fist, delivering a vicious punch to the face that made him cease all consciousness.

"Soul!", Maka screamed.

Noah gripped Maka's shirt opening the door, throwing her out, proceeding to push her out of the apartment. She kicked and screamed in an attempt to run back and save Soul, but sadly he had her outmatched in strength and size, making it nearly impossible to fight back. Once they reached the parking garage, she noticed souls bike, and just as she was about to make a run for it, a strong blow had been delivered to the back of her head. She was unconscious once more.

"Medusa.", Giriko said, flicking on the device he'd placed in his ear.

_"What is it Giriko, is the job done."_, she asked.

"Yeah, the Evans brat is here and Maka's outside and completely vulnerable.", he smirked.

Noah lifted Souls lifeless body over his shoulder, as if he was nothing but a rag doll.

_"Get the boy out.", _she commanded,_ "We don't need him here, and I'll be on my way there. I just need to make a short stop, pick up a few "tools",_ _and we'll be well on our way to success."_

"What do you mean 'we', lady?", he sneered.

_"I mean, you wouldn't have a damn thing without me, and I deserve a clean cut of the profits."_, she scowled, raising her voice.

"No way! We don't split profits, we did the work, we get the money.", he raised his voice louder.

_"If you don't, I know of even more deserving lunatics other than yourselves that would gladly take the boy. I don't think you realize how much you have to lose boys, and, your part of the deal still hasn't been completely carried out. As long as Maka's still in the city, you still owe me."_, she growled.

He growled back in frustration.

* * *

Maka's body was numb. The last thing she remembered was a vicious kick to the head, knocking her out cold. Now she's stuck here in the parking lot, slowly slipping into her unwilling sleep. Her attempt to stay away proved useless as it always did, and she ended up finding herself in a dream like state of mind once again.

"Where am I?", her voice echoed through her mind. She could clearly see herself, she was in a small black room with red tiled floors. She recognized the room, she'd had a dream about Soul in this room once before. This time, it was empty. She slowly remembered what had happened to Soul, as tears began to swell in her eyes.

_"Maka?"_, a voice called.

"Soul?", she looked up and around, trying to find him.

_"Relax, Maka."_, he stood in front of her, fully dressed in his black and red tuxedo. Maka's red plaid skirt and vest disappeared, and were replaced by the same lace black dress she'd worn last time.

"Soul what are you doing here.", she looked up at him.

_"No time, you need to listen carefully."_

"What is it?"

_"I have no idea where I am, I'm not even sure how I'm talking to you, but you need to listen closely. I want you to go, run far away from here."_

"No! I'm not leaving you behind!", she protested, clenching her fists.

_"Maka! I'm not letting you get hurt! If you got hurt, staying behind would've just been a waste of time!"_, he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"_I'm sorry_ Soul", she said, looking down at her feet, "I'm not going to do that. I will find you, and I'm going to bring you back. I don't care what it takes.", she looked up at him.

She stared into his eyes, and he stared back. Her face was filled with determination, Souls filled with worry. He finally gave up, placing his hand back into his pocket.

_"Well,"_, he smirked, _"I guess I have no choice but to believe in you. You are Maka after all."_

She smirked back, unable to remember the last time she'd felt so confident.

_"Maka, one more thing."_, he stared down at the ground.

"What is it?", she looked at his head, puzzled.

_"I..I need to tell you something."_, he hesitated.

"What?"

_"I..I.."_, his hands were shaking.

_"I..Maka..I..lo"_

* * *

"HEY MAKA WAKE UP!", an irritating voice shattered her ear drums.

She found herself on the ground, staring up at someone's face, whom she's never been so happy to see in her lifetime. For once, she wanted to see, this strange boy.

"Black*Star!", she screamed.

"What are you doing here on the ground?", he asked, pulling her back on her feet with no problem.

"Long story, we need to get back into that apartment building, they kidnapped Soul.", she looked into his eyes, begging he'd listen.

"Bastards! We're coming Soul!", he screamed, running toward the street.

"Black*Star!", she called after him.

"What is it! We can't waste time! We need to get moving! Well?!", he shouted back.

"Wrong way.", she sighed.

"I knew that.", he changed directions, heading back into the apartment complex.

Maka looked down at the ground, racing behind him.

_"Soul,"_, she thought,

_"hang in there, we're coming for you."_


	11. Soul's unwanted rest

Everything hurt. His head, his chest, his muscles, his face, his legs, everything. His body quaked with anger and anticipation. Though he hadn't opened his eyes yet, he could tell they'd moved. He was in a different house now. Somewhere he was unfamiliar with. In fact, he couldn't quite place which room he was in, let alone whether he was still in Death City.

"Bring him here.", a soft voice commanded.

"Yes ma'am.", he recognized the voice and a few more hands on his body.

Giriko and whoever was with him, most likely Noah, had gripped the bottom of his arms and shoulders, hoisting him closer to the woman who'd apparently demanded a closer look.

"What's wrong with him.", she displayed no amount of sympathy.

"He's still out cold. We had to knock him out to get him here. He wouldn't be of much use, kicking and screaming.", chuckled the man he recognized as Noah.

He didn't want to open his eyes. If he'd kept his eyes shut, maybe they would leave him alone and let him rest. Though the odds were unlikely, it was even more likely that he was due for another beating the minute he woke up. He decided to keep up the charade, acting as limp as possible.

"No matter. Bring me my new toy.", she cooed.

"Yes Lady Arachne.", they said in unison, dropping the boy on the bed.

He was afraid now.

"Hello my pet.", she purred, "What is his name."

"The license says Soul Eater Evans."

When had they taken his license? Where was his wallet?

"The rich boy?"

He couldn't hear a response, so he assumed they'd nodded.

"He'll make a lovely new play mate. Get out of my sight. If I decide I won't keep him, you two may have what's left of him."

He definitely didn't like the sound of that.

A door shut and he was left alone with the woman he wanted nothing to do with. He so desperately wanted to run, to find Maka, to get out of this place, but as long as he was here she was safe.

_"For now."_, he thought.

He fought back a cringe as a few hands had run through his hair. They were soft, like a woman's'. There was a sharp set of nails attached to the finger tips, so he assumed the woman had been "petting" him.

"Wake up.", she commanded, tightening her grip on his hair.

To his surprise, it hurt, as he reluctantly forced his eyes open.

"Who are you.", he demanded.

"Lower your voice.", she snapped.

"What's going on lady, who are you!"

"Lower your voice.", she commanded once more.

"No! Not until you tell me where I am!"

"I've gotten quite lonely.", she sighed, clutching her shoulders, "You seem to be the replacement for my earlier play-mate. I'm not quite sure what happened to Asura."

Paralyzed with sudden fear, he made no movements. His breathing slowed and he'd found himself a victim to her wandering hands, which investigated nearly every inch of his body, though they never strayed below the waist. He was thankful. He couldn't handle anything that _intimate_ now, not while he was so terrified. If anything, if _that_ was truly what she wanted, he would put up a fight but somehow, he couldn't imagine himself as the winner. She'd had him outmatched in every current trait.

"You'll be a good little boy won't you?", she purred in his ear, pulling him closer to her chest.

He refused to respond.

She merely laughed as she gripped his body tightly, laying back down on the large bed. She refused to release him.

* * *

Every face on the street reminded her of him. He was everywhere, and nowhere. Even Black*Star had fooled her with his  
spiky hair. In the shadows, when he stood tall, it almost looked as if Soul had been there with them.

Rescuing him was not going to be easy.

"Black*Star, how are we going to find him?", she finally asked, sewing her eyes to the ground.

"Easy. I'm Black*Star, I know where everybody is!"

"That doesn't exactly help our situation."

"Of course it does, I'm-"

"If you say "I'm Black*Star" one more time I swear to-"

"BLACK*STAR!", a kind voice screamed.

They both turned around and on the corner of the street, stood a pale Tsubaki.

"What is it Tsubaki?", he called back.

"Black*Star! Maka needs to run!", she looked behind her and quickly bounded up the street to meet the two.

"Why? What happened Tsubaki?", asked Maka.

"It's Medusa!", she cried, "It's all over town! Anyone who can capture you, dead or alive, will receive ten grand!"

"Ten grand? That's it? I demand extra!"

"Black*Star!", Tsubaki cried.

_MAKA-CHOP!_

"We need to save Soul. That's what's important, Tsubaki do you know where he might be.", she sighed.

"No, but he might.", she turned around, pointing a finger toward the lone person that now stood tall at the end of the  
street.

"Who is that?"

"Medusa's son.", Maka scowled.

"Have you met him?"

"Yes. He's a kind soul, we can't torture him. He's only doing this because of Medusa. She controls him.", she sighed once more.

"LET'S GET HIM! OR HER! I'M READY!", Black*Star exclaimed, proudly bounding down the street with a small weapon in hand.

"Black*Star!", Tsubaki shouted, chasing after him.

Maka stood there helplessly as the two sped off toward the young child. She was reluctant to fight, though she might be able to talk some sense into Chrona. If those men were truly working for Medusa, Chrona would know just as much as they did. Chrona was her pet. Medusa kept him around at all times, to do her handy work. Maka was a little surprised however, Ragnarok hadn't been with them. Usually, Ragnarok was the muscular fighting machine, who often took down the opponents.

"Hey Maka! We won!", Black*Star cheered, running back down the street.

"What?!", Maka sweat-dropped, "It's only been two minutes!"

She took a look at Black*Star who held something in his left hand. She tilted her head as she noticed the fabric of a dress, attached to the black dress worn by Chrona.

"What are you doing to Chrona!", she snapped.

"Hello M-Miss Maka.", he stuttered.

"As soon as Black*Star ran down the street, Chrona noticed his blue hair and insisted he couldn't deal with this.", Tsubaki sighed.

"Seems like Chrona.", she sighed as well.

"Alright kid!", Black*Star gripped the front of the dress, pulling the child up to his face, "What did you evil bastards do with Soul!"

_MAKA-CHOP!_

"What the hell Maka! This kid's a prisoner, we can't just let him get away with kidnapping Soul!", he declared, rubbing his damaged scalp.

"It wasn't Chrona who took Soul!", she snapped, "Noah and Giriko did it. I don't know what happened, all I know is Medusa had something to do with this."

"Chrona, this is very important,", Tsubaki stated in a soothing voice, "do you know where they took our friend? He's very important to us."

"Yeah, especially to Maka.", Black*Star interrupted.

_MAKA-CHOP!_

"As true as that may be Black*Star,", whispered Tsubaki, "Is now really the time for that?", she sweat-dropped.

"I guess so.", he exclaimed, recovering once more.

He recovered too fast for her liking.

"If I tell you, you won't make me go back to her will you?", Chrona shivered.

He'd caught Maka by surprise. She hadn't known Chrona hated his mother as well. He always seemed fairly loyal to her-though fear could also play a part in that.

"Of course not.", Tsubaki reassured.

Maka nodded her head in agreement, showing off her best smile.

"Giriko and Noah wanted to use him f-f-f-for ransom b-b-but w-when M-Medusa found out s-she decided she w-wanted all the m-money for h-herself.", he stuttered, "They refused to work with her a-a-after t-that b-but since they s-still had him i-it was too late to c-call off the d-d-deal, t-they offered him to s-s-s-someone powerful. Someone w-willing to p-pay extra."

"Who?!", Maka pleaded.

"I don't know. I-I-I'm sorry."

"SPIT IT OUT KID!", Black*Star demanded.

_MAKA-CHOP!_

"It's okay Chrona, just tell us everything you know.", she smiled, ignoring the corpse spread under her feet.

"L-L-Lady M-Medusa called h-her sister afterwards. I d-don't know w-what she wanted b-but she seemed really a-a-a-angry."

"Do you think they may have taken him to her sister?"

"Maybe. I don't know. I-I-I-I can't Imagine w-why Lady Arachne would want h-him."

After a few moments of silence, Maka had to ask.

"Do you think he's hurt?"

"I-I-I-I-I d-d-don't know.", he confessed shyly.

She turned away. She didn't want to care, but at this point she was no longer in control. Whoever was controlling her emotions, had pointed every bit of sensitivity toward Soul. Nonetheless, she no longer cared. She willingly turned her thoughts over to the boy who was missing-in-action. She knows she's more than determined to find him. However, the mission seemed impossible. They were dealing with real criminals now, and if they didn't play it safe, his life could be in their hands.

"Hey Maka.", Black*Star placed a firm hand on her shoulder, "It's Soul we're talking about. He's probably kicking some serious ass right now! Don't look so down!"

She smiled at the thought.

"Yeah,", she giggled, "You're right Black*Star."

"Of course I'm right! I'm Black*Star!", he cheered once more.

She scowled, "Why you-I warned you.."

_MAKA-CHOP!_

* * *

He was comfortable, against his own will. She'd rested his head on her stomach, curling up against his body, and the bed was too soft for his liking. No matter how soft this bed or how comfortable he might be, it meant nothing if it wasn't Maka, and it meant nothing if he had no idea where he was.

"Wait, Maka? Since when?...Damn it. Who am I kidding.", he sighed in defeat.

Arachne noticed, "What's wrong my pet.", she purred.

"I'm not your pet.", he spat.

"Yes you are. They sold you to me, you're mine now.", she chuckled as if he'd just told a funny joke.

"That's sick. I'm not yours.", he snarled.

"Lower your voice, you're upsetting me.", she warned.

"Good!"

"I'll warn you again.."

"Let me go! I want to find Maka! Where is she! What did you do with her!", he fought her grip now, kicking and screaming until he'd found his way to the door.

"Maka! I'm coming!", he announced.

"Giriko! Noah!", the woman shouted.

As soon as he opens the door he's greeted by two familiar faces.

"Get off of me!", he commanded as they surrounded him, obtaining the same grip they'd previously used to throw him into the room.

"Sedate him.", she ordered in an un-amused tone.

"You shouldn't have done that, kid.", Noah cackled.

"Our pleasure, Lady Arachne.", sneered Giriko.

He'd been thrown on the bed once more and the last thing he'd remembered seeing, was the satisfied face of Lady Arachne and the small IV placed into his arm.

* * *

**GOOD NEWS:**

** I'M FREE OF WRITERS BLOCK. I don't know how I did it but whatever I did, worked. I'm sorry if it's not a great chapter though, I was running out of time and I partially rushed. This is more of a chapter thaaattt.. let's you know I'm not dead, I suppose. Anyway, please enjoy, I'll be updating much more often now.**


	12. Rescuers

Chrona had made a good traitor. He was able to pinpoint every warehouse and hide-out Medusa had used for her secret sessions. She was in neither of them. They weren't exactly sure what they were looking for, but any clue to Soul's whereabouts were welcomed with open arms. It was better than going in blindly, they determined.

"Chrona, are you sure you have no idea where they might be. Do you know where "Lady Arachne" is."

"I'm sorry M-Miss Maka I-I don't. I wish I could t-tell you but M-Medusa never brought me when s-she visited h-her sister.", he shuttered, clenching his arm.

"It's fine Chrona.", she sighed.

"Hey Maka, come check this out.", Black*Star called from down the street.

She grabbed Chrona's wrist and hurried toward Black*Star. A garage-looking door had been slightly opened, shedding a slight light inside, illuminating a shadowy figure.

"Who is it?", she whispered.

"It's L-L-Lady Medusa!", he shrieked.

"Chrona? Calm down! Are you sure?!", she gripped his shoulders.

"What's she doing just standing there? Is she gonna attack us or what!", he banged a fist on the part of the garage left hovering over the figure, shrouding the body and face.

"You children are testy, aren't you. Normally, I would say you must be punished.", a cold voice sneered.

"Medusa.", growled Maka.

"Yes, it's me, the lovely Medusa. I've been sitting here waiting for you all to find me for what feels like hours. I'd hoped when you had, it would be much more entertaining. I guess I was wrong."

"What are you doing here Medusa. Where did you take Soul!", she snarled, kicking the door.

"I, unfortunately, didn't have the "pleasure" of taking him, so I'm afraid I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Don't lie to me.", she hissed.

"I'm not lying, however, I do know where he is. If you'll be so kind as to do me a favor."

"Why should we do any favors for you, Medusa."

"Well, I have one vital piece of information that separates you from your little boy-toy. Knowing my sister, I would hurry before she takes full advantage of her new little "play-mate". I think you know where I'm going with this Maka."

Maka shuttered. If they were on the same page..If she was right..Then Soul was..

"Shut up! What do you want!", she shrieked.

"Calm down Maka.", Black*star raised an eyebrow at her rising temper, "Don't let her get to you."

"It's simple. I'm sure it's only a small price..so long as you want your little friend to stay safe and innocent, that is.", she cooed.

"Tell us what you want, dammit.", she slammed a fist on the door once more, holding it in place.

"I'll give you the map to her hide out, including a map of the inner walls of her little sanctuary, along with the room which she usually holds her captives. So long as you do me one little favor."

Chrona shivered and hid behind Maka.

"You're not taking Chrona.", she snarled.

"Chrona? Oh it's nothing to do with Chrona.", she chuckled, "In fact, quite the opposite, take him with you if you like. I could care less about what you do once you're out of the city."

"Out of the city?", her remained caught in her throat.

"Yes. That's my one request. Leave Death City and your precious "Soul" will stay safe from any further harm."

"No way! You're not kicking Maka out-of-town, lady!", Black*Star snarled, kicking the door.

"I'll do it.", Maka interrupted.

"What?!", gasped Black*Star and Tsubaki, who remained silently perched behind Black*Star.

"I'll do it. Give us the map."

"Maka are you sure..", Tsubaki placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Maka gingerly swat it away, "I'm sure, Tsubaki. Soul's done too much for me. This is the least I could do."

"How touching.", Medusa chuckled, "Not to mention boring. Here, take the map, and all the information, and then get out of my city.", she stated, slipping a pile of papers under the door.

She wasn't lying. There below their feet lay a pile of information on Soul's whereabouts. She'd even included a map and diagram of the sanctuary known as "Baba Yaga's Castle". Soul was being held in the master bedroom.

"I'd hurry if I were you. I know how frisky my sister gets at night and it's getting quite late for you children. I'd say it's past your bedtimes.", she sneered.

They ignored her. Black*Star kicked the door one last time and ran after Maka, who'd already been bounding down the street, map in hand.

* * *

They weren't counting on a journey through a spider-ridden forest, but that's exactly what they'd received. A few traps had been set up along the way, which Black*Star quickly defeated, boosting his own ego. Chrona had stayed behind to gather his things, as Tsubaki and Black*Star had offered him a temporary home at the academy. Tsubaki had stood a look-out, pointing out every potential danger, and the occasionally shrieking at the sight of a spider, nesting in the open air. Maka wasn't afraid of spiders, she never had been. They were annoying creatures but she respected them for having the guts to roam the planet, knowing very well they're feared by others, and were certain to die if caught by the eye of a human. A fearful human, who misunderstood the creature, ending its short life in an act of pitiful worry.

"This way!", Maka declared, dodging yet another spider web.

Black*Star and Tsubaki nodded and followed after Maka, who'd broken into yet another run, treading along the dark forest. Night was nearing, and it wasn't making it very easy on either of them. The spiders became harder to spot. If it weren't for the lingering silk-white spider webs, they would never have been able to spot the looming danger.

Soon enough, they reached the entrance to the tower. There were a few people in strange cloaks outside, who asked for their names and business. Black*Star answered simply by smashing their heads together, knocking each unconscious, before either could alert their masters. The master they assumed to be Lady Arachne, who held their dear friend captive.

Often times the thought of leaving Death City lurked deep in her mind. She was a little surprised it had gotten to her. There was no real reason she'd be afraid of leaving. The only thing left in that city was the constant ridicule of the judgmental citizens, Medusa's evil glares, the rough streets that paid no mind to her, and Soul.

"Soul.", she thought.

If leaving the city meant saving Soul's life, she was more than ready to do it. It was the least she could do, after all.

She read the map as Black*Star knocked out a few more guards. None of them had been able to alert Arachne of their presence, which was good. They'd seen no sign of Arachne, Giriko, Noah, or Soul.

"This way.", she stated, turning yet another corner.

They'd been led up and down a few more stairs, down a few corridors, until they'd finally reached the large, purple double doors. The map had pointed this room out to be the master bedroom. Medusa had pointed the master bedroom, to be the room where her captives were held. If they were right, Soul was just beyond this door.

Black*Star and Tsubaki had come armed. With him, Black*Star had taken a ninja sword, and a trusty if-necessary smoke-bomb. Tsubaki had taken a kusarigama and a few shuriken. They'd had a few more things stuffed into their little pouches, but frankly she was too afraid to ask what they were. She wasn't even sure if it was legal to keep a shuriken, or even a kusarigama.

Before she'd had a second notice, Black*Star had kicked the large doors open.

There, on a surprisingly large bed, sat a woman dressed in purple, fiddling with the zipper on a unconscious boys pants.  
The boy had snow-white hair, and a black leather jacket. There was no doubt it was Soul.

She couldn't understand it, but her heart had suddenly sunk into the bottom of her feet. She'd relaxed once she'd realized his clothes were still in perfect tact. She'd only just begun her hasty desire. Still, it was too close for comfort.

"What is it now.", the woman snapped.

"Tsubaki!", Black*Star shouted.

"Right!", Tsubaki shouted back.

Before Maka could ask what they were doing, Tsubaki had lunged forward with her kusarigama, followed by Black*star, wielding a long, dark sword.

"Maka! Grab Soul!", he demanded.

"Alright!", she clenched her fists as she ran across the large room, in her attempt to look brave.

She looked brave, to say the least, much braver than she'd felt.

_SMASH!_

A kick to the side had interrupted her not-so-heroic gesture.

"We meet again, kid.", sneered Giriko.

"This is getting a little annoying.", snapped Noah.

"Piss off!", she spat, getting back on her feet.

"Testy, are we?"

"We'll fix that."

"Once Lady Arachne's finished with your little friend over there, they'll both have the pleasure of watching you die."

"That won't happen.", she snarled, "I won't let you hurt Soul!"

They let out a loud, deep cackle, "Who said she was going to "hurt" him? No, that's not what she had in mind at all.", he smirked.

She knew exactly what they'd been planning.

"Sick bastards.", she grit her teeth, lunging forward as she punched the man in the face, with all of her might.

Black*Star and Tsubaki had been pre-occupied with a group of guards that had flooded the room. Maka couldn't understand how Soul could still possibly be sleeping..

"You brat!", Giriko snapped, throwing another leg out.

Maka jumped back just in time to avoid the kick.

"I have no weapon. I have no chance of beating them. I'm outnumbered. Black*Star and Tsubaki are busy and it's only a matter of time before Soul's life is on the line. Do I really have a shot at winning?", she thought as she dodged yet another kick and a punch from Noah.

"Nope. Not really.", she declared as she jumped up in the air once more, landing a vicious kick on both Noah and Giriko.

"Nice going Maka!", Black*Star shouted from across the room.

A sudden adrenaline rushed through her veins. She know's she's outmatched in every way and she'd more than likely be the loser, but for now she couldn't picture losing. She couldn't picture leaving Soul behind as another flow of energy surged through her fist, which impacted Noah directly in the solar plexus.

"Dammit!", he sneered, coughing up a small amount of blood.

She felt she'd been doing this her entire life. Another kick, another punch, another dodge and another blow to the face. She hadn't been able to feel the sudden pain, she only felt the growing need to release her frustration. To take her anger out, to rid herself of her evil demons, somehow. She knew exactly who to take her anger out on, and today would not be a good day for either of them.

"Get ready!", she shouted, clenching both of her fists, "I'm coming for you!", she screamed as she surged forward.

In a jolt of energy, she'd completed a full-on front flip, against her own will, and landed a solid punch on both Noah and Giriko. It happened so fast, she hadn't even cared that her knuckles burned. All she could do, was take great pride in the fact that both had been marked unconscious with bloody, possibly broken, noses.

She took a moment to look at her hands, as if she'd just been placed back into her own body. She wasn't sure what she'd done, but she was proud of it.

"Don't just stand there Maka!", shouted Black*Star, "Grab Soul!"

Arachne stood with no expression on her face. She simply sat on the bed, running a loving hand through Soul's messy hair. Maka snarled. She should be doing that, not her.

_"What?"_, inner-Maka snapped.

_"I don't care anymore."_, she sighed, breaking into a sudden run toward the bed.

Immediately, she found the only explanation for his much too-long rest. An IV had been hooked into his arm, obviously filled with some sort of sedative.

"Get your hands off him!", she commanded, jumping with full force, landing on the bed.

She wasn't sure what good that would do, but it was better than nothing.

"Guards!", she pointed an accusing finger at Maka, "All attacks on Maka!"

"Nice try lady, but you don't have any guards left!", declared Black*Star, grinning triumphantly.

Literally, no guard was left standing.

"Don't you think you went a little overboard, Black*Star?", Tsubaki sighed.

"No way! I'm ready to take on every guard you've got!"

Tsubaki sweat-dropped, "That _was_ every guard she had."

Maka ignored the conversation, and focused her attention on Soul, "You've been beaten, surrender."

She simply chuckled, "Alright. I see you've won. Here, take your little friend and get out of my sight. He was too much trouble. certainly not worth what I paid for."

Maka clenched her fists, fighting the urge to punch the woman. Any little insult on Soul had waged into a full-blown assault on Maka's pride, and she wasn't sure why.

Maka kneeled down behind his bedside, gingerly un-hooking the IV, and threw his arm over her shoulder. She requested a little help from Black*Star, but was eventually able to lift him up and carry him out of the castle.

It was a long journey home.

* * *

**Updating soon.**


	13. My Kidnapper

** Remember, rated T for a reason. It's not quite M but it contains mature situations. No lemons however. Nothing like that.**

* * *

A light rain had begun as they made their way safely out the door. No guards followed, as there were none left. Giriko and Noah were safely out-cold, and not due to wake up for at least the next twenty-four hours, though Maka felt it slightly difficult to believe she'd hit them with such brute force. She'd known she was a fighter, when she had to be. Other than that she'd never strayed from the practical guide lines set for herself, "stay out of trouble". Sadly enough, her master plan had soon deteriorated the minute she met Soul, because once he'd infected her, he was her only reason.

"Maka, stay here.", Black*Star suddenly commanded, "Tsubaki and I are gonna go scout out the area. You'll be fine alone with Soul, won't you bookworm?", he grinned.

She grimaced, fighting the urge to kick him. Though it would've been wasted effort, given she couldn't exactly move as she supported Soul and her own weight on her shoulders. She slung his arm over her neck and shoulder as she grabbed the opposite side of his waste. They'd been in that position ever since they'd left Baba Yaga's Castle, and it was beginning to weigh her down.

_"We're close."_, she thought, _"Closer to Death City than I thought we would be."_, she sighed.

She'd almost forgotten her commitment. She had to leave now, she would have to leave everything, and everyone behind.

"I guess now is as good as time as any to say goodbye.", she whispered to no-one in particular as she set Soul down inside of a small shelter formed by lingering rock and stone, shielding them both safely from the rain.

Black*Star and Tsubaki would be able to find him easily, and he would be kept safe from any lurking danger. She knew very well she couldn't stay and say goodbye to Tsubaki and Black*Star as well. Not only would it become harder on herself, but there was a good chance they wouldn't allow her to leave. It was hard enough saying goodbye to Soul while he was unconscious, she couldn't imagine doing it while he was awake and listening.

"You've been really nice to me you know that?", she giggled lightly as she sat down next to Soul.

"You're gonna be fine without me.", she reassured herself, "You have Black*Star and Tsubaki. Not to mention Kid, Liz, and Patty.", her voice trailed off as it broke into a low whisper.

"You were my first real friend.", she smiled to herself as she placed her hands softly on his chest, "Things are about to get allot easier for you, now that I won't be around. I hope you meet somebody special, one day Soul. I don't think I'll ever meet a man as kind as you are.", she trailed off as she recalled the day they met, which in fact, hadn't been long at all.

Realizing this, she reassured herself one last time that he would be just fine, and finished her long over-due goodbye.

"Goodbye Soul.", she whispered as she leaned in a final time, giving him one gentle kiss on the cheek.

With that, she collected herself, and disappeared into the wild forest before Black*Star or Tsubaki had returned.

* * *

Soul had woken up later than he'd anticipated. The last thing he remembered was that of an IV inserted into his arm, the feeling of the device somehow being removed, gently as he recalled, and then nothing. He couldn't remember a damn thing after that, except for one familiar loving voice he couldn't quite place and the feeling of something soft on his cheek.

The minute he'd woken up, he regretted it. He was in the comforts of Black*Stars old apartment. He'd been awakened by the sound of Tsubaki making very frantic phone calls. She sounded as if she was on the phone to the police, reporting a missing girl. Black*Star was silently cursing every little thing as he searched for a book that had gone missing, for reasons unknown.

Book.

"Where's Maka?", Soul asked, suddenly jolting off of the couch.

His body hurt but he was too concerned to notice.

"That's what we want to know.", frowned Tsubaki, hanging up once more.

"How could she just run off like that? You were supposed to watch her, Soul!", accused Black*Star.

"Sorry Black*Star it's a little hard to watch somebody when you're out cold.", he sneered.

"Well either way, Maka's gone now. We have no idea where she is, all we know is she made a deal with Medusa."

"Deal with Medusa?!"

"Yes.", Tsubaki stated in a low voice, "If Medusa gave us your location, Maka had to swear she'd leave the city the minute we'd rescued you. I guess Maka doesn't like goodbye's.", she sighed.

"I have to go find her.", he threw a blanket off of his lap as he attempted to stand.

Sadly, the effects of the sedative hadn't worn off and he'd made himself a bit dizzy.

"Soul, you really shouldn't strain yourself.", Tsubaki warned.

"Yeah, you're not as strong as I am.", Black*Star interrupted, "You mortals can't handle drugs like I can."

He ignored the statement, "What time is it. How long as she been gone."

"It's about midnight.", Tsubaki sighed once more, "She's been missing for about five hours now."

"I can't wait. I have to go find her, or something else will.", he panicked as he tried to move once more, only to be viciously seated on the couch by the collapse of his own legs.

"Black*Star, where's my motorcycle?", he sighed in defeat.

"It's outside. I brought it back once we were home. Thank me later."

"Not now.", hissed Soul, "I'm leaving. I have to go find her.", he staggered toward the door in yet another failed attempt, this time face planting firmly on the ground.

"You should wait till morning, really!", Tsubaki cried, "You're in no condition to be wandering about at night. If something were to happen to Maka, with you in this condition, you wouldn't be able to protect her, let alone defend yourself."

"Besides, Maka was kicking some serious ass!", shouted Black*Star, "She'll be fine."

He smirked a bit at the thought of Maka beating the living hell out of those men. Though he hadn't had the pleasure of witnessing it, he knew the fight was bloody, and he knew not a single drop belonged to Maka.

* * *

She'd stumbled into a small village. It was peaceful, to say the least. However, the civilians hadn't welcomed her with open arms. They seemed disturbed by her presence, puzzled by her very being. She shrugged off the strange looks, returning their gazes with her own harsh stares. She'd yet to learn this town, so the first night there would be a little rough on her. She doubted she'd get any sleep that night.

There had been no explanation about why she suddenly found herself banished to this lonely place, she soon learned to be "Loew Village". There were no friendly faces exchanged along the streets, not towards each other, not toward her, and the people seemed to keep to themselves.

A town built on isolation. She'd adjust well to that, not that she had the choice.

The only thing that had kept her smiling, was the fact Soul was safe now. He was safe, Medusa would leave him alone, he was no longer in the clutches of some desperate spider woman. That was enough to plaster a faint smile on her face. She'd tried to keep herself from crying as she left his side, his body disappearing from her view altogether. It hadn't worked, thankfully however, the rain masked her tears well.

There was no school she'd be able to attend in Loew village, strangely enough. There weren't many people around her age. There were many adults, a few children who kept close to their distant mothers sides, and little to no teenagers. Those who were teenagers, took the form of too-close-to-adult to tell. She couldn't distinguish the features as everybody seemed far more matured than normal.

Needless to say, she already hated it here. Strange glances passed throughout the streets and the rumors had carried faster than she'd expected. Then again, Loew was a very small village. She should have guessed that everybody there knew each other somehow. Though, that didn't explain why they each seemed to share a mutual dislike for one another.

* * *

It's been three weeks.

Three weeks since she'd made her not-so-daring escape. Three weeks since she'd given up the remote chance of happiness for this wasted little wonderland, good for absolutely nothing town. Three weeks since Soul had been rescued, and above all:

Three weeks since she'd seen Soul.

It's late, she knows it. She doesn't own a watch, or a home, or food, but here she is walking around the local supermarket, open late. She's become quite talented at the art of theft, not that she hadn't been already. She only stole what was necessary to survive. For example, a temporary place to sleep. That shouldn't have been too much to ask for, right?

Sadly enough, her habits had been exactly what landed her in this lonely excuse for a town. She quickly grabbed a small loaf of bread, stuffed it into the hidden pockets of her button-up trench coat, and made her way out of the store with the excuse "they don't have it here". The store clerk seemed a little wary, but nonetheless he bought it and dismissed her without a second notice. Thankfully she'd kept her childish gleam. The pig-tails threw people off, and she was proud of it.

A dark ally had been quietly perched in the shadows of the store. Perfect place for hiding, she thought. There she could eat her prize in peace, and if she was lucky, catch a bit of sleep. To her dismay there had been no local parks nearby, nor were any abandoned apartment buildings. It wasn't like Death City at all, which on some level, disappointed her. It hadn't felt like home, not that she had one back in the city. It hadn't held the promise of adventure, and it hadn't anything worth looking forward to. No parks..No apartments..No thieves (besides her)..Most of all, no friends. Nobody to talk to. No lazy smirk that had forced her cheeks into a light blush, and no blood-red eyes staring back at her. Most importantly, no Soul.

Her thoughts were interrupted as she heard the sound of footsteps in the ally.

"Who's there.", she called as she backed into the furthest wall of the ally.

"I should ask you the same thing.", the voice called.

"Who are you.", she demanded, stepping backwards once more as she hit the ladder, leading up to the roof of the small building.

She was a little surprised that the small town had managed as many ally's as they did.

"Something smells good.", he chuckled.

"Go away.", she commanded in her bravest voice.

"Why don't you?"

"I was here first."

"That never stopped me, little lady."

"Get out of here. Now!", she ordered, jamming the loaf of bread back into her pockets.

"Give me that food and we'll call it even. Unless you'd rather I take something a little more valuable than a loaf of bread."

She noticed the hint of hunger in his eyes. Though she wasn't sure what he was hungrier for. All she knew was, if he'd made another sex joke, she'd have surely thrown up on the spot.

"Get out of here you damn _creep_.", she pointed an accusing finger at the man.

"Make me.", he sneered.

The dim light of the ally lit a part of his face. She felt her body go numb. This man towered over her. Once again, she found herself outmatched in strength, weight, and size. The winner had already been determined as he'd stepped into the ally.

He was bound to be the victor. She no longer found reason in her life on earth, and she no longer cared. She'd lost her will to fight any longer.

She sighed as she threw the loaf of bread to the man. He caught it with pride, silently celebrating his victory right in front of her. She merely glared as he finished the bread that would have silenced her hunger over for the night.

As he finished, she noticed the man approach her once more.

"What do you want?", she growled.

"I'm still hungry.", he warned, cracking his knuckles.

She fought the urge to surrender, and tried to move her muscles. Her efforts wasted away as the man simply held her wrists in a death grip, pinning her stomach onto the wall using only his knee. She knew where this was going, and she prayed when he'd finished he'd show a bit of mercy, perhaps by killing her.

"I won't hurt you.", he growled into her ear, licking the side of her ear.

A few tears trickled down her face. She didn't care, at this point she had no control over her body, nor her thoughts. Her mind strayed and raced back to her place of comfort.

"Soul Eater..", she sighed.

"Shut up.", he snarled in her ear once more.

She closed her eyes. Maybe it would end sooner..

The next thing she heard was a loud growl, followed by a vicious slam. She prayed it wasn't her as she opened her eyes.

The man sprawled out on the cement floor, nose bloody and broken. The scene was so familiar, she almost enjoyed it. She would have enjoyed it, that is, if her savior hadn't also been her kidnapper.

She couldn't see his face, or make out any features through the helmet he was wearing. It was pure black and shaded every part of his head. Even the glass seemed impossible to see through.

"W-Who are you.", she hissed.

He hadn't paid any attention to her, he simply threw her over his shoulder and eventually sat her on his back. He hadn't given her any time to fight back or to run off as he simply slammed the ignition, causing her to hang on for dear life. She refused to wrap her arms around his waist. This man was no hero, he was lucky there was no chance of a book being in her possession.

"Where are we going?", she shivered as he led the two out of Loew village, faster than what seemed possible.

"Doesn't matter.", he snapped.

She clutched the back of his leather jacket tightly, debating whether she should simply jump off of the motorcycle.

Then it dawned on her.

This man had made no true attempt of hurting her, or ravaging her on the spot. He was a bit taller than the average teenage boy, and a bit too strong, but she knew this boy wasn't capable of laying a hand on her, without suffering dire consequences. She relaxed as she laced her hands around his waist, catching his attention. He simply stared at her through the helmet as the bike slowed.

She faced her kidnapper as the bike came to a complete stop in the middle of nowhere.

"Hello Soul.", was all she said, as she slowly removed the helmet kissing the boy gently on his cheek.


	14. The Soul Inside

Maka ripped the helmet off. Even in pure darkness, his hair stuck out, even in the dark, which only made her giggle in satisfaction. His face was a bright red, and jaw dropped wide open.

"How did you know.", he mumbled.

"You're the most heroic kidnapper ever, you know that?", she giggled once more.

"Your welcome, by the way. Believe me I wanted to go way further than just a little punch.", he smirked.

"I owe you too much.", she sighed, clutching his waist.

"I owe you more. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you. I would've suffocated in that lady's death grip."

She shuttered a bit at the thought. If they had been only a minute too late..

"Maka, what's up?", he cocked his head as he noticed her grim face.

"Nothing.", she lied, flashing a broken smile.

"Alright.", he shrugged it off and turned back around on the bike, starting the engine.

"Wait!", she announced.

Tears flooded her eyes in sudden realization. As much as she wanted to, she could never go back to him. She was never allowed to return to Death City at the sake of Soul's safety. That was much more important to her than her selfish needs: the need to be around him.

"I can't..I can't go back.", she choked out, stepping off of the bike.

"Maka.."

"No, Soul. I left for a reason. If I go back you'll be-!"

"I don't care.", he snapped.

"W-What do you mean you don't care?"

"I don't care. Whatever happened to me, Maka, I don't care. As long as you're around I..", he trailed off.

His voice broke into a low sigh, before leaning forward on the bike in defeat.

"..What is it?", she spoke softly, approaching the front of the bike slowly.

"It's..I-..Nothing.."

"It doesn't sound like nothing."

"Just come back with me."

"Soul.."

"Maka.", he sighed, "I saved you, you saved me, then I saved you again. We're off-balance, so the only favor I ask right now..Just..Come back with me.", he sighed in annoyance.

These past three weeks had been a living hell for both.

"Alright.", she whispered.

"What?", he leaned up a bit.

"I'll come back with you."

He hopped off of the bike, pulling her into a tight hug, "Thank you."

She giggled a bit as he pulled her into his chest.

"What are we going to do about Medusa?", she sighed.

"Throw the witch in jail, what else."

She giggled a bit, before pulling him back into another hug.

"What was that for?"

"For being you. You're amazing, Soul!"

He was glad it was dark. She couldn't see the pink tint on his face.

"Well, what now?", she sighed, never releasing her grip.

"We go home."

Home? She didn't have a home, Soul had a home.

As if reading her mind, he said, "Our home. You live with me now."

"I-In your parents mansion?! No, Soul! They hate-!"

"Not there. I don't live there, and neither do you. I was talking about my apartment. We're enrolling you into the academy."

"R-Really?"

He nodded.

She missed school. She loved reading and greatly enjoyed learning new things. However, due to her abandonment, all of that was gone now. She had nothing, not even the comfort of books. At least until..Soul..

"Thank you Soul.", she buried her face in the crook of his neck.

"No problem pig-tails.", he joked, hugging her tightly.

"Wait, who's we?"

"Your friends."

"Friends?"

"Black*Star, Tsubaki, Kidd, Liz, Patty, and me of course."

"You're all my..Friends? Even after I left you?"

"You had your reasons. All that matters now is you're safe, and you're coming home. Your real home."

"I..I don't know what to say.", she felt herself bite back a few tears.

Tears of joy.

"You don't have to say anything. Just hop on.", he pat the seat of the bike.

She did. She hopped on and sat silently, and patiently as he drove them far away. Far away from Loew village, far away from the forest, far away from regret. That was something only he could do, she noticed. He had the power to make all of her fears disappear. The witch was in jail, thanks to him.

He saved her life, rebuilt her old one, then gave her a new one. She had friends, she's going to attend a beautiful school, and live with her best friend. He had everything, and he was everything.

The day she met him, he was a typical male. In her eyes, he cared about one thing, and one thing only, and she would have been right if he hadn't proved her so wrong. She was damaged, on the inside and out. He looked right through her. He ignored the rumors, he wouldn't give up. Not even when she pushed him away. Not after the many times she'd try to run away. Not even when she left. He saved her. He had the power. He looked harder than the rest. He saw her for who she was.

The day he met her, she was a mystery. A mystery who wanted nothing to do with him. A mystery who pushed him away. The mysterious girl who ran from him so many times, only to return. The girl who left, who wanted nothing to do with him. The girl who saved his life. The mystery, who soon dug her way into his heart. The mystery who soon became his angel. She never judged him for a moment. Not for a single moment did she comment on his fearful appearance, or his lack of manners. None of that mattered to her. She saw him for far more than his surname. She didn't see him as a dollar sign.

No, in fact, they saw each other for far more than that.

They saw each other, for the soul inside.


	15. Epilogue

**Epilogue:**

**Three Years Later**

* * *

Maka sat quietly on the couch in the apartment, rubbing her stomach.

"Hey, what's up?", a voice whispered in her ear.

She looked up to find her loving husband, leaning over the edge of the couch. His white hair tickled her ears. She giggled as he nuzzled into the crook of her neck.

"Nothing much.", she giggled, "Any word from Black*Star or Tsubaki?"

"Yeah. They decided on Grey*Star. When the baby comes, that is. If it's a boy, at least. If it's a girl, I think Tsubaki's gonna name it."

"Grey*Star? Why Grey*Star?"

"Black*Star's father was White*Star, so he figured he'd keep the pattern. Even if he isn't close to his dad."

"That's weird. What'll Tsubaki name it if it's a girl?"

"Camellia."

"Pretty."

He nipped at her neck.

"Soul?"

"Couldn't resist.", he chuckled as he did it again, this time licking her.

"Soul! Stop it!", she blushed, "Kidd, Liz and Patty are coming over soon, and Liz is bringing the baby."

He sighed. Ever since Kidd and Liz had their baby, they'd been coming over more often. It would've been fine, if the kid didn't take up after his father. Stupid OCD. The kid's obsessed with organizing things. He looked like his father, acted like his father, and practically had the same name as his father. Instead of Death The Kidd, it was just Kid. However, he had developed Liz's laid back attitude in some way. Whenever he wasn't obsessing over organizing, however.

"So, when are we gonna tell them.", he whispered, placing a hand on her stomach.

"Soon. What do you think it's going to be, Soul?"

"I don't know. What would we name it?"

"I was thinking..If it's a boy..Eater."

He smirked, "Are you naming it that because of my nick-name, or how he was conceiv-OW!

"SOUL!", she blushed ferociously, releasing her grip on his hair.

"Alright alright, stop hitting me.", he groaned, "Anyway, I was thinking, if it's a girl we can name her..Angel."

"Angel..", she smiled, "I like it. What made you think of that?"

"You, obviously.", he stated matter-of-factually.

She giggled, leaning up to kiss his cheek. In return, he kissed the top of her head.

She turned her eyes back to her book before a flash of white interrupted her thoughts.

Just as she suspected. She looked up to find Soul kissing her stomach lovingly.

"Soul!", blushed again, "Can't you be patient?"

He sighed, "No way Maka. I'm probably going to do this every day until the baby is here, so you better get used to it."

She leaned up and cupped his chin between her fingers, pulling him into an unsuspected kiss.

"What was that for?"

"For being you. You're amazing.", she giggled.

Sadly, this time, the room was well-lit. She plainly saw the pink tint on his cheeks.

"I hope we're not interrupting."

They turned their attention toward Kidd, holding a child wrapped in a blanket, accompanied by the Thompson sisters, and Chrona.

Chrona and Patty have been around each other allot lately, so they've noticed. Chrona seems to enjoy Patty's company, Patty enjoys making Chrona blush or giggle to her satisfaction.

"Not at all.".

"Are Tsubaki and Black*Star with you?", asked Soul.

"Yeah,", replied Liz, "They said they were on their way over here. They wanted to tell us something."

"YAHOO!"

"They're here.", groaned Kidd.

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE GREAT BLACK*STAR HAS AN ANNOUNCEMENT!"

"Black*Star shut up! You'll wake the baby!", exclaimed Kidd.

"Black*Star if you wake the kid up I swear to god I'll hit you.", growled Liz.

Everyone was surprised when the baby arrived. Nobody expected Liz to be such an over-protective mother. Which she was, when the child wasn't sticking the Kidd's side.

Tsubaki followed Black*Star. She was definitely showing, she was on her seventh month of pregnancy.

"We have good news everybody.", she smiled, patting her stomach.

"Out with it!", Patty cheered, "What is it?!"

"Tsubaki had an ultra-sound at the hospital yesterday, and guess what! She's having twins!"

"Really?!", everyone gasped.

"What are you going to name them Tsubaki?", asked Liz.

"We're having a boy and a girl. So Black*Star decided to name the boy-"

"GREY*STAR!"

She giggled, "The girl will be Camellia."

"Those are beautiful names Tsubaki.", said Maka, "Now, we have something we'd like to say too since you're all here.", she looked up at Soul, who nodded in return.

"We're having a baby!", cheered Maka.

"Congratulations!"

"That's great!"

"Congrats Soul, I knew you'd grow a pair one day-OW!"

"C-C-Congratulations Maka."

After that, a party was thrown in honor of the twins, and Maka's baby. Not too long afterwards, Chrona proposed to Patty, and surprisingly, after their engagement Chrona's stutter began to disappear completely. The wedding vows went smoothly, with much perfection. It turned out, Chrona had a gift for poetry, which Patty loved.

Tsubaki had two babies. Camellia, a healthy baby girl, and Grey*Star, a healthy baby boy. To everyone's surprise, Black*Star was a great father. He nearly broke a mans hand for yelling at his kids in the grocery store, years after. It turned out, Black*Star was faithful to the very end. He never even acknowledged another girl, besides his goddess and beautiful princess. Grey*Star took after his father. He enjoyed out-door activity and clung to his fathers leg when he'd the chance. Camellia kept to her mother's side, and was usually the well-behaved, obedient one. That didn't be she hadn't inherited anything from her father, however. She was a bit more feisty than she looked. In other words, they became the perfect family.

Kidd and Liz raised their little boy with the help of their friends. The baby was always well-fed, it was never alone, and it grew up with close, child-hood friends. Liz prided herself in every way. She loved her child to bits. Maka found out soon enough, as children, Liz and Patty lived on the streets. Theirs lives were far more difficult before they met Kidd. They'd never known the true love of a family, until they started one on their own. They wouldn't have it any other way.

As for Maka and Soul, they ended up having a healthy baby girl. The girl looked like both of her parents, with her fathers eyes, except instead of a deep red, they were an emerald-green. She had white hair, which was usually pulled back into a single pony-tail. She had her mothers love of reading, and her fathers love of her mother. Soul kept his promise. He loved the kid with every ounce of his body, and so did Maka. Wes came to visit a few times. The hostility hadn't disappeared completely, but nonetheless they felt much more comfortable with Wes, thankful his parents hadn't decided to visit. Wes was a cool uncle, for the most part. The kid liked him, and that's what mattered.

Each family was full of unconditional love and acceptance, and they raised their kids to think so too. For every hope, and every dream, or wish they shared for each of their kids, all they hoped is one day, the kids would live the same happy ending.

All they hoped, was that their kids would someday be able to look hard, and see the soul inside.

* * *

** ~Fin~**

* * *

**The End. **

**What did you think? This was my first fan-fiction so I'm well aware of how bad it starts off. It gets a little better at the near end, in my opinion. I never realized how short and grammatically incorrect it was until I looked back on it. That was after my other fan-fictions, however so I'm not surprised it took a while to get used to writing. I'm still not that great, but I hoped you like it. **

** It's a shame to say goodbye but that's it. I'll see you soon in one of my other fan-fictions. Maybe in the new one I'll be releasing sometime after I've finished my other more "important" ones.**


End file.
